


Those who bear the mark

by TheCanadianBat



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Auditore, Borgia family, Gen, Isu, Mystery, Pazzi, Philosophy, Pieces of Eden, Revenge, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 84,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27030283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCanadianBat/pseuds/TheCanadianBat
Summary: Nerissa de' Pazzi deeply admired Ezio, despite being Vieri's cousin, but when the Auditore started his crusade, her immediate family, unaware of the plot against Lorenzo de' Medici and not involved in the deaths within Ezio's family like others such as Francesco or Vieri, was caught in the crossfire of the conspiracy and unfairly punished....
Comments: 8
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Note : I changed a few dates of some of the key events in AC2 by just a few years in order to better fit the story and reduce some of the massive unexplained time jumps in the original AC2 all of that so we can have a much more compact story , so keep that in mind while you read**

In a heavily damaged and now abandoned Monteriggioni, Nerissa de’ Pazzi and Ezio Auditore are engaged in a ferocious battle on a rooftop of the small town. The center of the town that used to be the major Auditore stronghold outside of Florence was now mostly in ruins. The once shining and imposing Villa Auditore, was now only a shell of its former self. The once lively marketplace of the Tuscan town, seemed now as sinister as a cemetary.

After several sword clashes and right before they were about to charge at each other once again, Nerissa looked at the glowing mark on her right palm with a relatively sad look on her face, before closing her fist, after which the mark spread further through her body. The blue glowing mark was now extended to her arm and its patterns were visible even on the left side of her face.

Ezio possessed a mark of his own as well, a green one and also allowed his mark to spread through his body, after which the two individuals exchanged blows once again. Ever since these marks had appeared in their lives, nothing was ever the same for the two Florentine nobles, a sort of major turning point if you wish. 

Thus, it does truly beg the question : what were those marks exactly ? and perhaps more importantly, why was Nerissa fighting Ezio ? And why in such a desolate place ? 

What is it purely motivated by personal grievances or was there a much greater, more complex cause guiding her sword ? And if so, what cause would that even be ? and could it even be considered a righteous one ? Things, however, were not always this way, she never even seemed destined to be a fighter and we could reflect back on Nerissa’s history and examine a much different time, several years before their battle in Monteriggioni, when her and Ezio were not adversaries. A time during which she even deeply admired the young man.

**_Florence, April 1483_ **

Nerissa was walking in the streets of Florence with her mother. It was an ordinary day and they were on their way to a flower shop and yet, for the past few months she had not been able to stop thinking about the Auditore and what had happened to them in December of 1481. A relatively influential family in the city being suddenly accused of treason on dubious charges and have three of their members publicly executed. 

This had led to increasing anxiety for Nerissa, for reasons she could not explain. If it could happen to the Auditore, could it happen to her own family as well ? She had been particularly thinking of Ezio, who had managed to flee the city alongside his mother and sister shortly after the tragedy. Several witnesses had reported that after the execution of his father and two brothers, Ezio had murdered the Gonfaloniere Uberto Alberti in broad daylight and then proudly claimed in front of everyone “that the Auditore are not dead”. Since leaving the city, she had not heard of him so his current whereabouts were unknown to her.

Murder and criminal acts were not exactly something she would associate Ezio with, under normal circumstances, but these were not normal circumstances. Nerissa did not personally believe that the Auditore were guilty, so she could not exactly blame Ezio for wanting revenge on Alberti, especially since as she understood it, he used to be a good friend of Ezio’s father Giovanni. 

But nevertheless, murder was something she still had trouble reconciling with Ezio and the image of him she had come to develop. But maybe it was a mistake ? Because the truth is, Nerissa had only interacted with Ezio a few times before the incident. But she had also not only heard great things about him but some of those things she had even witnessed herself. An example would be her seeing Ezio voluntarily holding the luggage of an old lady who had just come back from a trip, something her own cousin Vieri would probably never do.

Another thing she had witnessed which marked her even more happened during a race organized in the city and Ezio was among 5 participants for this small competition. However, while he was dominating the race, had the number one spot and was about to win, another participant fell and broke his ankle while running and let out a powerful scream. Ezio, despite being ahead of everyone else, pretty much abandoned his advantage in the race and went to check on the injured participant, while the others continued to race and ignored everything. Ezio alerted people in the crowd for help so that doctors could check on the injured and make sure that he is fine.

Nerissa was there in the crowd and watched it happen and for her and it was a great testament of Ezio’s character and she was smiling while she watched Ezio carry the injured man to safety as it made her remember the day she met Ezio for the first time in 1481, which was a few weeks before the events of the race had happened. She fell into the Arno river and was rescued by him and he carried her back to her mother, who was understandably very thankful.

Despite the tense situation between Francesco’s side of the Pazzi family and the Ezio’s family, Nerissa’s parents never had any animosity towards the Auditore at all, probably because her father, Daniele had never really been close to his brother Francesco.

What she felt towards Ezio wasn’t exactly an infatuation or a crush, despite her young age she knew it couldn’t be called that not only because Ezio was 4 years older than she was, (she was 9 in 1481 when they met while he was 13) but also because Ezio was already courting Cristina Vespucci at the time and anyway, before the tragedy that is. It was simply admiration and the traits displayed by Ezio caused her to have a particular esteem for him. 

Despite all of that, Ezio was known to have engaged physically in battle against Vieri in the past. But Neri knowing what type of man her cousin was, she didn't exactly hold that against Ezio either. There is such a thing as insulting and disrespecting the ones you love too many times. And she understood that even the most virtuous had their limits in terms of patience.

However, all these thoughts were broken by her mother’s voice : “Neri ? Neri ? Tout va bien ma chérie ? (Are you alright dear ?) to which Nerissa responded “Oui Maman” (Yes mother). 

“Good, let’s get the flowers and get home, it’s getting late”.

“Yes, you’re right Maman”. 

Nerissa’s mother, Raphaëlle Rousseau from her maiden name (she was called Raffaella in Italy) was born and raised in France and therefore had been teaching Neri and her brother Marco her native language which Neri had mastered perfectly, including the Parisian accent when speaking in French. And so Raphaelle would usually speak her native tongue with her kids outside of Italian.

As they were about to enter the flower shop, they heard a comment from a woman that was behind them “Coming across trash next to a flower shop wasn’t exactly something I had expected to experience today”. Neri and her mother turned around to see who had said it and it was Sina Albergo, the wife of Alfonso Albergo, a high-ranking captain in the service of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the de-facto ruler of Florence in some way. 

“Excuse me ?” said Raphaelle. 

But Sina simply went on : “You know, when I see the monstrosity you produce (while pointing at Nerissa), I am glad to not be able to have children, at least I won’t have to look at them everyday”.

Raphaelle kept Neri close and as she was about to respond, a man came and told Sina off 

“Oh will you just keep your mouth shut!? Those two have done nothing to you so should better get the hell out here. I’m sure the atmosphere will end up being much better without you around.” 

In the face of those words, Sina simply made an angry face and went away.

“I’m really sorry for the trouble signora Pazzi” the man said.

“Thank you Alberto.” said Raphaelle in return. 

Alberto was a painter and a good friend of Nerissa’s direct family. Shortly after that quick exchange Alberto also left and the pair entered the shop. It wasn’t the first time Neri and Raphaelle had met Sina and each time she had spewed disgusting and hateful words towards them, often insulting their looks as Neri just like Raphaelle was blonde with green eyes, something Sina apparently did not like for some reason.

From what Nerissa had heard, her uncle Francesco was apparently somehow responsible for causing the financial ruin of Alfonso and Sina in the past. Ruin from which they were saved by Lorenzo de Medici and Alfonso subsequently entering his service. And because of that the couple started to despise anyone named Pazzi regardless of whether they had a part to play in their past misfortune. She had asked her mother for more details, but Raphaelle simply told her to forget about her.

After getting what they needed from the shop, they arrived at their home. Not long after, Nerissa’s 4-year-old brother Marco rushed towards her in order to give her a hug “Neri! You’re back! I missed you!” 

This made Raphaelle chuckle and she said to her son “But we were only gone for an hour at most”.

“Well, sometimes an hour’s too much” responded the young boy.” Nerissa simply smiled in the face of all this. Neri and Marco were very close, and he was extremely attached to her.

“Are you going to read me a story before bed tonight big sister ?” asked Marco.

“Yes, anytime, fratellino (little brother)” The 11-year-old girl responded while holding him tight. Neri’s father Daniele was still working so he would come home much later during the night, so the servants had been looking after Marco while Nerissa and her mother were running some errands.

Several hours later, the family ate dinner and then prepared to go to sleep, meaning it was time for Marco’s story, so Neri went with him to his room. She was skimming through the books that were on the shelf, looking for something interesting and at the same time she asked him

“So what kind of story would you like to hear tonight, Marco ?”

“Whichever really, the stories are special because you are the one who is reading them big sister”. 

This made Neri smile and she told him “Well, in that case I choose this one” 

It was called “The brave condottiero”. 

So she picked up a chair and started reading. After a few minutes she arrived at the end of the story “-and at the end of the battle, the condotterio defeated the enemy and was recognized as the best captain that Italy had ever known. The end.” 

Marco was smiling from beginning to the end. And once she was done, Neri put the book aside.

“That was amazing Neri! I loved it, thank you!”

“You’re welcome Marco.” Neri answered with a smile.

“Say Neri, do you think I could be a condottiero (military captain) too when I grow up ? It sounds great.”

“I thought you wanted to work at a bank like Papa, Marco ?”

“Well, yeah but….I don’t know. Being a condottiero also seems fun.”

“Well, regardless, as long as it’s a nice and honest job, I’m sure Mom and Dad will be fine with what you choose. You still have time to decide, you know ?” Neri said, patting his head.

“Yeah!” Marco said happily

Marco then said “But whatever I choose when I grow up, I hope I won’t be too far away from you, Big sister, that would break my heart and I’d miss you too much.”

“Aww Marco, even if I’m far away in another country, I’ll make sure to visit during the summers often, like Tante (Aunt) Madeleine back in Paris, Okay ?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!”

“Okay time to sleep now Marco, sweet dreams” and she gave him a kiss on the forehead. 

Marco said, “I love you big sister”. 

She smiled and responded, “I love you too Fratellino (little brother)”. She closed the door and left to go to her room.

But once in bed, she could barely close the eye. Deep down, she was still anxious and was still thinking of the Auditore tragedy. This “what if it happened to us as well” is a question she could not stop thinking about. In bed, she remembered a party she attended in 1481, so before the Auditore incident, one to which most of the big families of the city were in attendance. There, she was wearing a light blue dress, which her mother thought made for a nice combination with her blonde hair.

As her mother and father were deeply engaged in discussions with some of the attendants, she looked around her, simply out of curiosity and immediately saw something that she considered worth examining from a closer distance. It was her cousin Vieri and Ezio. They looked like they were in a heated conversation, as always. 

She knew the two 13-year old (at the time) pretty much despised one another and had already fought on the street before. So, she decided to get closer and see if she could do something, anything to help defuse the situation.

"I can't wait to see the look of despair on your face when your foolish family is finally put in its place. You have been a thorn on our side for far too long" proclaimed Vieri with an overly proud demeanor as always.

"And I can not wait for the day you stop making empty promises and actually start adopting a different strategy like…..let's see….not running away after a fight after having insulted me and my family ?" Ezio threw at Vieri.

"Bastardo.." Vieri threw back at him.

"Vieri please!" The two boys looked to their right to see the younger girl with a worried expression on her face. Neri then grabbed Vieri's arm "Please not here, there are people around it would not be a good look" She pleaded to her cousin. "Please ?" She added. Vieri simply removed his arm, rolled his eyes and left.

"I'm really sorry this happened Ezio ." Neri said to him.

"No, it's fine really, you're obviously not responsible for his actions just because you two are family." He responded. "

“I know but I somehow feel sad to always hear about or see you quarrel with him." Neri said back

"I understand." Ezio answered

"By the way, I wanted to thank you again for saving me that day, in the river, it was very courageous of you." 

"No, you really shouldn't, It felt natural, it was about saving a life."

Neri smiled upon hearing this and all of sudden a young girl who seemed to be just slightly older than Neri appeared from behind Ezio and said 

"Ezio ? Ezio ? Cristina's looking for you."

Ezio then said "Sorry, I've got to go. Claudia, this is Nerissa, I think I've already told you about her, why don't you talk a bit with each other.?" After that, Ezio left the scene to go over to Cristina’s side.

"Hi, I'm Claudia, Ezio's sister, nice to meet you ."

"I'm Nerissa, Vieri's cousin, nice to meet you too. I think this might be a bit awkward uh?"

"I know, they don't exactly like each other. So, you're the one that big brother saved from the river uh ? I'm not surprised, I knew he was always courageous and helpful, he's always been there for me too."

"Yes, I can imagine that" said Neri. After a short silence Nerissa then asked

"So how do you see your life in 10 years, Claudia? Any hopes or plans?"

To which Claudia responded "10 years ? Well let's see, at that time, I would be 22 years old and probably already married off but in case I'm not, I'm sure my father and brothers will take care of me. 

In any case I hope I will never have to work, I hate it, could you imagine me selling items on the street or worse behind a desk looking at letters or numbers all day? I would not be able to handle such a life. That would be too hard and boring you know ?"

Nerissa had a look on her face that could be described as half amused and half embarrassed and simply said

"I see, that’s….interesting." 

“And you Nerissa ? Where do you see yourself in that time ?”

“I am not really sure yet to be honest. I guess I can just hope for something nice, as vague as that sounds.”

“Hmm, that’s understandable.”

Afterwards they spoke a bit more before the both of them returned to their respective families

This was 2 years ago. And back in her bed, Neri couldn't help but wonder what Claudia was feeling right now, assuming she and Ezio were even still alive. The world that she thought to be relatively safe was violently ripped from her with the execution of her relatives. 

How was she coping with it ? And what effect did it have on her as a person ? Claudia seemingly had a very high opinion of herself, but did the Auditore Tragedy force her to grow in maturity much more rapidly or did she keep the attitude and behavior displayed when they met at the party ? Neri had so many questions but there came a point where her body simply gave up for the night and she finally managed to fall asleep.

The next morning, she was woken up by her mother, who told her that she should get ready as her preceptor was about to arrive. Before Raphaelle left Neri's room to let her daughter prepare, the young girl asked "Mother ? The Auditore…. do you really believe all of the stuff they had been accused of ?”

"No my dear, of course not. I thought I had already told you that”. 

For a strange reason she had never really discussed the incident in a detailed manner with either of her parents since it had happened, only briefly. After that, her mother left the room and Neri got ready for her lessons.

Several hours later, after her preceptor had left, she was in the living room reading a book and her mother entered the room to quickly pick up an item.

“Maman (mom), when is Tante (aunt) Madeleine coming to visit this year ?” Neri asked upon seeing her mother.

“Hmm, around July I think. I should send a letter by the way. I can’t wait to see my little sister again.”

“I feel the same Maman. She’s always so kind with everyone, and Marco loves her too.”

“How could he not ? She’s a sweetheart.” Raphaelle saids smiling

Raphaelle then added “Alright dear, I’ve got to get back at it. I’ll see you later. Happy reading!”

“Bye Maman!”

A bit later, her father this time, came into the living room. 

"Hello Nerissa," he told her upon seeing his daughter. 

He was relatively tall, of average build and funnily enough the only black-haired person in the family of 4 as everyone else had blonde hair.

"Hello Papa, are you well?" She answered.

"That I am, life at work has gotten a lot easier."

"I am glad it is the case Papa" she said in return.

"And what about your lessons ? Are they going well ?"

"Yes, they are, I have made huge progress on my Latin in the past few weeks."

"Well that is great to know," Daniele said. 

“Papa, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, anything you’d like my dear.”

“Why exactly have you never gotten along with uncle Francesco and the others ?”

“Well, it’s…...complicated. From childhood, we never really saw eye to eye. I found him to be….unpleasant and a bit manipulative from the day we were old enough to talk. I suppose that is the best way I can put it. 

However as you indicated, it wasn’t just about me and him, most of the others thought very highly of him and I sort of was the main outcast of the clan, though I wasn’t the only one as a few others did not like Francesco and his circle either and weren’t shy about sharing that opinion. It’s just that for some reason, I stood out more than the others. Even our parents did not think much of me. 

So, me being such an outcast was obviously not really the cause of my dislike for Francesco, instead, it seemed more like a consequence of it, among several others I guess.

After our parents died, I was still not seen as good enough by uncle Jacopo, and thus excluded from many things. That was a particularly marking experience for me. But in any case, I am glad I was able to make it on my own and have this wonderful family, it’s truly a changing experience, don’t you think ?.”

“I agree Papa.” Neri said with a smile

However, Daniele could notice that not everything was fine on Neri’s side deep down, simply by looking closer at his daughter's face. 

"Are you alright dear?"

"Well...actually, these past few months I've had some nightmares about bad things potentially happening to our family, and they have been persistent."

"Oh, I see, well you should not dwell too much on these thoughts. It's normal to be scared of such things especially at your age. But you should not worry. Besides if anyone wanted to hurt us, I would do everything in my power to keep you, Marco, and your mother safe. I would even give my own life if I had to."

"Even give his own life." She thought internally. Somehow this last sentence sent shivers down Neri's spine, but she simply smiled and said

"You're right Papa, thank you." After which Daniele gave her a kiss on the forehead.

In reality, his words though naturally well intentioned, had not really managed to make her feel more at ease. If something were to happen to her family, she was not sure how she would handle it, so she could not stop thinking about her possible response to such an event. Unfortunately, she would not have to think or imagine for long, as a mere week after her discussion with her father, catastrophe would engulf her family….


	2. Chapter 2

**_Florence, April 26th 1483_ **

It was a Sunday, relatively early in the morning and Nerissa was coming down for breakfast with the whole family. The family servants were hard at work, assisted by Raphaelle, Marco was running around in the house and Daniele was reading. Neri greeted everyone, walked around for a time and then finally sat down in the living room in order to wait for their meals.

She was sitting next to a window and was deeply pensive. Still tortured by the same nearly poisonous thoughts. She was playing multiple scenarios in her head. “What if ? What if ?”. Going through all the possible reasons as to why things could, or would go south for her and her family. It felt like an eternity but only went on for fifteen minutes, before her “mental exercise” was interrupted by someone banging on the door, in an unusually hurried manner. At this hour, it was probably Mattia, their letter carrier. But why was he banging on the door in such a strange way ?

The person on the other side of the door started screaming “Signore Pazzi! Signore Pazzi!”. 

Listening carefully, it seemed like it was indeed Mattia and there was quite a worried tone to his voice, but why ? Daniele got up and rushed to the door, due to the insistence of the noise. Raphaelle also went to see what was going on. Mattia was indeed the one behind and he entered. He seemed to be out of breath and could barely talk. 

“Signore, something--something terrible has--…”

“Please calm down, Mattia, catch your breath, what is going on ?” said Daniele.

After a few seconds, Mattia said “Signore, your Brother Francesco, alongside 2 other men, murdered Giuliano de Medici this morning in front of the Duomo, in front of a massive crowd.”

“What ?” said Daniele.

Mattia went on, “Francesco then turned his attention towards Lorenzo and tried to eliminate him as well but an unidentified individual in a white hooded attire came to his rescue and Lorenzo managed to make it back to his house while Francesco retreated”. 

Mattia pursued with “Your good friend Gabriele Marengo was among the crowd and since the Medici guards knew you were close with him, he was immediately suspected and arrested.”

“One of the guards also recognized me and was tasked with letting you know that you needed to go to the jail where Signore Marengo is currently behind held, the one right in front of the flower shop that Signora Pazzi tends to visit and that if you can prove to them that you were not involved in the plot, they would leave you and your family alone.”

Raphaëlle put her hand over her mouth in shock and Neri suddenly felt a surge of anxiety in the face of these somber news.

“Was this it ?” She wondered internally.

“Damn that Francesco.” said Daniele.

“What are you going to do, Signore ?” asked Mattia.

Marco then entered the room and asked “Mama ? what’s going on ?”. Raphaëlle simply held him tight.

“Daniele this could be a trap.” she then said.

“It could be” he responded. “But if they wanted to simply harm us, why send a messenger ? Why not just come here and do the work themselves ?” he continued.

Raphaelle simply sighed and said “You do make a good point, but I am really suspicious about this.”

“I understand your concern, but if we don’t take this option we could regret it later. At least we were given a choice. I will go and see what is going on. I promise you I’ll make it back home safe” added Daniele while putting his right hand on Raphaelle’s cheek.

He then turned to his children and said “Behave yourselves you two, wait for me here with your mother, I will be back as soon as I can.” After those words he hugged his kids, thanked Mattia, took a cloak and left. Mattia also left the house soon after.

But something that definitely didn’t leave, was Nerissa’s anxiety. If it had been pretty bad, for the past few months, her anxiety level just skyrocketed after hearing these news, and the apparent threat towards her family that followed it. Raphaelle immediately noticed this and told her daughter “I understand you chérie (dear), but there’s not much we can do at this point. Let’s just pray that we’ll be able to get out of this safe. I’m going back to the kitchen and make sure you and Marco get something to eat soon, I’m sure it might help you put your minds more at ease.”

“Oui Maman (Yes mother)” Neri said.

Raphaelle then told Marco “Stay with your sister while I get breakfast ready, okay ?” and gave him a kiss on the forehead and left for the Kitchen. 

Nerissa then held Marco in her arms and tried to reassure him but it was difficult when she was so terrified herself.

She then sat in the living room with her little brother for a while and kept worrying about her father for quite some time. What was going to happen ? Was it a trap ? Were they really going to harm him ? Harm her family ? She kept thinking, until she couldn’t anymore and got an idea : she was going to in front of the prison herself. She knew it was going to be dangerous, but also felt like her fear and anxiety could make her pass out if things went on like this, that is, unless her father immediately came back.

But he had been gone for about more than an hour now and the prison wasn’t that far away from their house since he went by horse . 

She then told Marco “Go see Mama, I’m going to pick something up in my room.” Marco nodded and then left. 

With Raphaelle, Marco and the servants in the kitchen, Neri then picked up a cloak that was laying around in the room, discreetly opened one of the windows in the living room and then managed to sneak outside. She then went around the house and picked up the one the horse that they owned and that was in front of the house and then started riding towards the prison.

Around an hour before Neri had left her house, Daniele had managed to make it safely to the front of the prison by horse. He had encountered some guards fighting each other but none of them even noticed him. He introduced himself to the guard in front of the prison and after telling him why he was here, the guard let him in and another inside told him to wait here for some time while another went outside the prison seemingly to relay the information to someone.

Over the next 35 minutes or so, he noticed more and more noise outside, it seemed like a big crowd was gathering right outside the prison, so Daniele then asked one of the guards inside “What is going on ?”.

And the guard answered him “Do not concern yourself with the noise, I’m sure it will be over soon. It will all be over”

But Daniele could notice a small smirk on his mouth, which made Neri’s father feel uneasy.

And then a few minutes later, that very same guard led him to the cell where his friend Gabriele Marengo was being held and when the door opened, the guard slightly pushed him and then subsequently closed and locked the door. Daniele was horrified to see Gabriele in a pitiful state. He was sitting in a chair, very badly beaten and was bleeding from his mouth. He seemed barely conscious. Daniele then approached him carefully and tried to “wake him up”.

Gabriele then noticed his friend :”Daniele ? Is that you ?. No….No...NO!! you shouldn’t have come here…..it’s…...it’s a trap.”.

“What ? What does this mean ?” Nerissa’s father said, unable to conceal the worry in his voice.”

Gabriele then pursued “A….Al….Albergo, it’s him. It was him that arrested me. And you know how he feels about...you and all Pazzi in general. Just...just because of your brother.”

“But what exactly is he planning ?” said Daniele.

“Can you hear it ? The...the noise….the crowd outside...I’m sure there are here because of him something...I’m certain of it.” his friend added. Then it hit him, he remembered the words of the guard just some time ago as well as the sinister smile that followed “It will all be over”. and got more and more unsettled, especially as both men were now locked in this cell, and noise outside got louder and louder.

A few minutes later, outside the prison, a man exited a carriage and looked at the crowd. Some of them had swords, others had pitchforks, some had neither of those weapons. But they all started screaming “Death to the Pazzi !!!” repeatedly, although Daniele could not exactly hear the exact words.

The man in the carriage was Alfonso Albergo, the one mentioned by Gabriele and it was his wife that Neri and her mother met a week ago. The crowd was growing restless and he exited the carriage. Due to his own personal grudge against the Pazzi, he had managed the rile up a group of Medici loyalists in the city and had succeeded in spreading the word that a prominent Pazzi member (Daniele) and a "Pazzi loyalist" (Gabriele) would be inside the prison so he ordered the men guarding the prison, to spread the word to the masses, who were out for blood, as soon as Daniele got inside.

But he also told his men to make sure that no one attacks Daniele's house as he had other plans for the rest of the family and Lorenzo de Medici had basically given him free reign to do as he pleased in Daniele's case as long as there was some sort of punishment. As regardless of which form it was going to take, Lorenzo had decided that every single Pazzi would suffer varying consequences, depending on their degree of involvement. Guglielmo de' Pazzi, Lorenzo's brother in law, who Alfonso naturally disapproved of but had no choice but to tolerate up to that point because of his (Alfonso's) financial dependence on Lorenzo, who also had seemingly no involvement had been immediately put on house arrest by the Medici lord with the intention of exiling him. He would probably have been thrown in jail had he not married into the Medici family.

Francesco, Jacopo, Vieri and Renato de' Pazzi were still at large and were to be executed if caught as tangible proof of their involvement was in Lorenzo's hands. But for the people massed at the prison’s entry, none of this mattered. For them, if they could get their hands on a Pazzi, it would mean death as all of them played a part in the plot against the Medici in their eyes. Alfonso Albergo had also worked alongside Cornelio Bonelli, a man working at the Medici bank and also longtime enemy of the Pazzi, to pull off this particular plot involving Daniele and Gabriele. So, the crowd kept getting louder.

Alfonso, once out of the carriage and was greeted by five men in masks and armed with knives and swords. “Ready when you are, signore.” one of them said.

“Let’s go” he answered. Some people in the crowd had noticed Alfonso and gotten enthusiastic. Others were even straight up cheering him. He and the 5 men arrived at the entrance of the prison and he told the guards guarding the gate to open it and let the 5 men inside. After which, he returned in his carriage and left the scene.

The guards led the 5 masked men to the cell in which Daniele and Gabriele were “trapped”. The men entered and immediately Daniele turned around and seeing the masks on their faces, asked “Who are you ? What do you want ?”.

But Alfonso’s men simply started assaulting Neri’s father and his friend with several punches and kicks, grabbed them and then proceeded to drag them outside in front of the Medici supporters massed outside..

The assailants had managed to bring the 2 men in front of the raging pro Medici crowd who swiftly proceeded to savagely beat the two men up. Daniele was slapped several times and then kneed in the stomach but Alfonso’s men held him up and his cloak was violently ripped from him. The 2 victims were completely surrounded by the hostile Medici horde, with no chance of escaping. Gabriele was also punched several times and hit in the head with large wooden sticks, and also held up, until one of the 5 men finally decided to stab him with the shoulder with his knife. The situation seemed hopeless for Neri’s father and his friend.

Back to Neri on her horse. She had also seen a bit of street fighting among guards and partisans of the two factions (Francesco’s and Lorenzo’s) but had also managed to avoid it. But as she got closer to the prison she could hear the noise coming from the people gathered and the entrance more and more. Once the prison’s gate was within sight and she actually noticed the crowd massed in front of the entrance, wielding pitchforks,swords and torches with Anti-Pazzi rhetoric coming out of their mouths, deep down, she knew what was going on, she thought internally “No, Papa…” but still wanted to see what was going on despite the danger. She got closer and closer to the crowd and then got off her horse. She lightly pushed some people among the crowd in order to make way and see what was going on.

She slowly advanced, got closer and closer and looked on in horror, as she finally saw the “objects” of everyone’s attention, 2 men, one on his knees, with his arms held up from behind by two other men in masks, the other, on the ground, still,motionless. The one on his knees was her father and his face was bloodied, his shirt was ripped from his body, and she understood quickly that the man next to him was Gabriele, his friend, and put a hand over her mouth in shock and disgust. As a third masked man, was handed an axe by someone in the crowd, proceeded to point it at Daniele, she screamed in terror “PAPA !!!”.

Surprisingly, Daniele managed to hear her scream, and turned his head to look at her, recognizing her among the crowd, even with her cloak. Daniele looked at his daughter, one could tell from the look he gave her that he felt ashamed, disappointed in himself as he had, in his eyes, failed his family. Knowing he had no chance of escaping his fate, he then faced the man carrying the Axe, weakly nodding his head in approval, still obviously hurt and tired by all the beating and told him “Do it….do it then.” And then the axe wielding individual swung his weapon, cutting the head of Neri’s father.

The 11 year old girl had perhaps just witnessed the worst thing ever. This was worse than all of the nightmares she had had or thoughts she had experienced. As her father's head rolled on the ground and the crowd exploded with joy, she let out another powerful scream “NO !!!”, started tearing up and immediately started navigating through the crowd and making her way back to her horse but one of the 5 men said, “Her! I recognized her, that’s his daughter, take a hold of her!”.

However, as she had already started fleeing before the man gave the order and because not everyone in the crowd had heard him, Neri managed to make it back to her horse and started riding as fast as she could, overwhelmed with fear, sadness and anger.

Once in front of her house, she got off of her horse and started banging on the door with as much force as she could muster, yelling “It’s me!, It’s me!!!!, Nerissa, please open the door!!”. A few seconds later, Raphaelle opened the door and said “Oh mon Dieu, Neri!!, Mais qu’est ce qui t’as pris ? J’était folle d’inquiétude!!! (Goodness sake, Neri!! What were you thinking ? I was worried sick about you!!). Her tone was that of anger mixed with anxiety. She then quickly proceeded to grab her daughter, pulled her inside, and then closed and locked the door. Marco and the servants were all in the room. The little one said “Big sister, why did you leave?”

“Where the hell were you ?” added her mother with the same desperate tone.

“At…..at the prison, mother” said Neri who started tearing up once again. By the look of her daughter, she had the feeling that something terrible had happened, and Raphaelle tried to say something, but no word would come out. Her daughter then completely broke down, fell to her knees and started yelling “Papa !!!” before crying intensely. By then it was clear in Rapahelle’s mind and the mind of the servants, what had happened, it was clear that her worst fears had been realized. Her husband fell into a trap.She then immediately told the servants that they were free to go, as it might be dangerous for them to be seen with members of the Pazzi family. The staff were understanding and left immediately.

She then told her two kids “We have to leave as well, we can’t stay here.”

Marco, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation as things were not said in a literal sense, was still a bit confused about the situation. “Where are we going Mama? Is Papa coming with us ? Why hasn’t he come back ?”. His mother simply gave him a hug, she held him tight as she began to tear up. “I’m going to try and gather some things very quickly before we go, Neri, stay here with him, please.” But as she was about to turn around, they heard a loud noise outside. It appeared that someone, no it seemed like several individuals were trying to force the main door.

Raphaelle barely had the time to grab her two kids that the entrance was successfully forced and several men, Medici guards by the looks of it entered the house. One of them, seemingly their leader, was one that Neri and Raphaelle recognized. It was Alfonso Albergo, the man who had, unbeknownst to them, had the time, orchestrated the slaughter of Gabriele and Daniele.

“I am afraid you and your children are under arrest, Madame.” He said in a sarcastic manner and with an exaggerated French accent. Raphaelle then tried to get her two children in a protective manner, but it was of no use. Neri was quickly hit in the head by one of the guards, fell to the ground and immediately lost consciousness.

Several hours later, now at night, near the Palazzo della Signoria, Medici loyalists were celebrating in front of Francesco’s, Vieri’s and Renato de Pazzi’s corpses. Word on the street, was that the same white hooded individual who had saved Lorenzo from Francesco himself, had managed to cut down the Pazzi's leading men of the conspiracy, however the figure was said to have vanished and many of the Medici supporters did not know the truth about his identity or motives for protecting their lord, but they were quite glad about it nonetheless. Very few people, among them knew him.

Alfonso and his acolyte Cornellio Bonelli had heard of the individual’s name after discussing with Lorenzo but had never met or interacted with him at all, so the white hooded person was not exactly involved in Alfonso’s machinations. Only Lorenzo himself and another of his Lieutenant Angelo Poliziano had discussed extensively with the man.

But back to that same night, at around the same time back in front of the prison, the mutilated, headless and naked bodies of both Daniele de Pazzi and Gabriele Marengo were displayed upside down on a gibbet (a wooden instrument that can be used to fix and expose the bodies of executed criminals) and the remainder of the crowd that participated in their deaths was still celebrating. Next to the prison, Lorenzo de Medici and Cornelio Bonelli who worked at the Medici bank and was Alfonso’s accomplice in this scheme, exited a carriage.

Lorenzo had been informed of the situation and therefore knew the “identity of the corpses displayed.” 

“A work of art, wouldn’t you say ? I can assure signore, the Pazzi will never again challenge your authority” said Cornelio as he bowed before Lorenzo.

Lorenzo simply answered with “It would appear so” with a neutral look on his face.

Several hours later, Neri finally woke up in a strange place. It looked like a pretty big cell, they were in prison. A different one though, right outside the city, she could see the name of the facility one the walls, her head was still beating like a gong but before she could think about anything else, her mother screamed her name in relief “Neri, honey you’re finally awake.” and gave her a long hug while sobbing a lot. Within a few seconds, Raphaelle was full on crying while holding her daughter. Neri stayed silent. Neri then noticed Marco who was on side, seemingly asleep.

Raphaelle then got away from her daughter and confirmed that Marco was indeed sleeping, extremely tired after what had happened. After her mother had asked her what exactly she had seen at the prison, Neri then started to describe what had happened and the gruesome things that came with the whole thing. Her mother wanted to cry even more, even harder but she also felt like that in such dark times, she had to be strong, just for the sake of her children.

“Why mother ? Why did this happen ? Why is this happening to us ? What did we do ? Why are some people so cruel ?” the young girl asked her mother. 

“I….I don’t know dear.

Some people are just….” Raphaelle choked up and couldn’t finish her sentence.

But soon after, the door of their cell was opened, revealing Alfonso once again. “Well, hello there.” he said with a smirk and the same sarcastic tone.”

“What do you want ?” asked Raphaelle.

“Nothing really” he answered. “I’m just here to inform you that Francesco, Renato and Vieri de Pazzi were eliminated tonight. That Jacopo had escaped, Guglielmo was exiled and that Daniele was…...well you know.” He added while he started laughing. He pursued “Quite a few others have been thrown in prisons, like Francesco and Renato daughters for example and also you I guess, all by order of Lorenzo de Medici.” “Also I guess I should thank the Auditore kid…. Ezio if I’m not mistaken. He has helped Lorenzo quite a lot these days, he’s the one who got rid of your uncle and cousin.” He said that last line while looking directly at Nerissa.

“Ezio ? But why ? Why would he….” she started before being cut off by Alfonso.

“Who knows ? The important thing is that your damned family will never again poison this city. Signore Lorenzo de Medici has made certain of it and I am glad he gave me free reigns to take care of your particular case”

The young girl then screamed at the man “But we haven’t done anything!! Why are you punishing us !!? We’re innocent!” Alfonso then approached Neri and “answered’ by slapping Nerissa with the back of his hand, who then fell to the ground, in pain and holding her cheek. This immediately alerted Raphaelle who grabbed her taking a protective stance.

“Please….Please leave her alone.” her mother said.

"You know, young one, my men did a fine work of your father, in case you don't want to suffer the same fate, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. I think you've seen enough for now but we still have time to play. You know, technically, your father didn't exactly have something to do with the plot, but knowing how vile those with the Pazzi name can be, why not get rid of you one way or another while we still can" After those words, Alfonso left the cell.

“Neri… chérie (dear), I’m really sorry” said her mother who then got her to sit down and then hugged her . But the young girl was simply crying. No word. She could not do much, her worst fears had been realized. This WAS the worst day of her life.

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**_Florence, May 20th 1483_ **

More than 3 weeks had passed since disaster struck Neri and her family. She was sitting down against the wall with her baby brother in her arms, sleeping and Raphaelle was also on one of the beds, asleep as well. Marco had since learned what had happened to Daniele. He did cry a lot, and initially refused to accept it but he eventually did. And as time went one, he spoke less and less. Marco had completely lost his usual hyperactiveness, which is not surprising considering the situation.

Neri naturally felt quite sad to see him that way as he had managed to put a smile on her face several times in the past when she had tough moments to face. But another thing she couldn't stop thinking about was Ezio. Why ? Why him ? Did he play a role in her father's death ? What exactly was he involved in this affair ? Was she wrong about him. As previously explained, Ezio had never met Alfonso or Cornelio and was therefore not involved in their intrigues, however, this isn't something she knew at the time.

But regardless, Ezio was still actively supporting Lorenzo de Medici, Alfonso's superior and the man at the top ultimately responsible for her family's misery, which was a fact she couldn't ignore. The question was why ? Why would he support a man so cruel to young children ? "Did Francesco, Renato and Vieri have something to do with his own family member's execution" she wondered ? She had so many questions.

The living conditions in their cell were atrocious. The place was quite dirty, including the beds. They were tired all the time, and the "food" they were given made them a bit sick. Marco was the most affected by that last element. But all three of them were getting physically weaker and weaker. Neri, despite her own despair had tried to cheer her little brother up by trying to tell him his favorite story, one that she had read to him several times and therefore pretty much memorized, but the young boy was a bit unresponsive, he no longer cared that much that his big sister tried to make him happy, it’s as if he was dying a bit inside every day. This observation only depressed Neri further. They would still talk about a variety of other things, but regardless of the subject, Marco showed very little enthusiasm. In Neri’s mind, it seemed like things couldn’t get worse and yet history would show she was wrong about that too.

Marco woke up in her arms. “Hello Marco.” She said

“Hello sister”. He answered weakly, still tired. He nonetheless left his sister’s side and walked away only to sit down against the wall opposite to his sister, hiding his face down in his knees. Neri was simply looking at her brother with a sad expression, without saying a word.

Raphaelle woke up soon after and Marco was in the same position and went to check on him but he wouldn’t want to move or talk much so she went back to sitting on her bed. She didn’t know what to do or what was going to happen. The room was silent, no one was saying anything. What were they going to do with them ?

2 hours later Alfonso entered their cell, accompanied by 6 men and his wife Sina. One of the men went towards Marco and grabbed the child. “What are you doing ? Leave him alone!! What do you think you’re doing ? Stop this!!” Raphaelle yelled.

“No!! Leave Marco alone!!” Neri added.

“Mama!! Neri!! No!! Noooo!!!” the child screamed as he was being taken away from his mother and sister.

“From here on out, I will take care of little Marco’s education.” Alfonso said to them.

"We promise we'll take great care of him. He will be like the son we never had" Sina added while laughing as hard as she could.

“No!! Please I'm begging you!! Take me if you have to but leave my baby alone!! Leave my children Please!” Raphaelle screamed from a desperate voice.

“I’m sorry, that is not negotiable” Alfonso responded and when she tried to grab his arm in protest, he slapped her and she fell.

“Mama!” Neri yelled while she went to check on her mother. “Mama! Neri!” Marco yelled one last time as he was being dragged out of the cell. After which they all left with Marco.

Raphaëlle was still on the ground, crying. “My baby…..It wasn’t enough for them to take Daniele from me….they….they…..THEY ALSO HAD TO TAKE MY BABY AWAY FROM ME!!!!”. The last part she said with a powerful scream which even managed to scare Neri a bit at the beginning who was also obviously in tears, hopeless in front of her crying mother.

Nearly a month had passed since Marco was taken away from them and Neri and Raphaelle were both in their respective beds having a conversation. “Mama ?”

“Yes?”

“We haven’t seen Alfonso in a month, do you think Marco is….do you think is still….”

“I...I don’t know dear. I have no idea.” Raphaelle's eyes had gotten a bit red, and she had somehow managed to lose a bit of weight as well, just like her daughter, and the food situation wasn’t getting better either.

"What's gonna happen to us? Do you think they'll take me away from you too ? Are we ever going to get out of here ?"

"I don't know." Raphaelle responded in a sad manner, seemingly out of energy. In the face of that, Neri tried to get some sleep as there wasn't much else she could do.

A few hours later, Alfonso, again, entered the room, with a few men and woke up both Neri and her mother. “What are you going to do to us this time ?” Raphaelle threw at him bitterly ?

“Signora, after a few months in the company of your son, he has made horrific confessions to us, confessions that we had to reveal to city officials.”

“What confessions ?” Raphaelle asked ?.

“Well, the child revealed to us that you were a bit...abusive towards him. Abusive in a very specific, particularly indecent way, I’ll keep it at that, I’m sure you understand where this is going. How do you answer those accusations ?”

Raphaelle was bewildered by the accusation, with everything that this man had done so far, this was a lie, he knew it, she knew it, they all did. She would never do such an awful thing to her own son, or anyone to that matter.

Nerissa took some time to understand what exactly they were accusing her mother of, but once she did, she put her hand over her mouth in disgust and almost threw up. How could they say such a thing.

“Signora, how do you answer these accusations ?” Alfonso asked again.

“I will not answer.” Raphaelle said.

“What did you say ?” Alfonso said.

“I WILL NOT ANSWER!!” she yelled. “AS THE VERY NATURE OF SUCH VILE AND DISGUSTING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ME DOES NOT ENTITLE YOU TO ONE. HOW DARE YOU!!!? HOW DARE YOU DEFAME ME AND MY FAMILY IN SUCH HORRIFIC MANNER!!?” Raphaelle was screaming with all of her remaining strength, tears coming down her face.

“Well I guess it doesn’t really matter what you answer or even if you do. The city of Firenze has already sentenced you to death. You will be hanged tomorrow in front of the Palazzo della Signoria.”

Neri’s heart dropped when she heard this. Her father was brutally murdered, her brother taken away and now her mother was going to die too ? What was she going to do ? After that Alfonso, barely able to conceal the smile on his face, ordered his guards to take Raphaelle out of the cell.

“Maman!! (Mother) No!! ” the young girl screamed. 

“No!, get your hands off me.” her mother yelled. Raphaelle managed to get away from their grip and grabbed her daughter’s hand and told her, overwhelmed with despair 

“Tu dois vivre, Neri tu m’entends ? Ne reste pas ici, tu dois t’enfuire. Jure le moi. Jure le moi! (You must leave Neri, do you hear me. You shouldn’t stay here. Swear it. Swear it!!).”

As she was being dragged again, this time through the door, Raphaelle managed to scream one last time “JURE LE MOI!!!” (SWEAR IT TO ME!!!) after which she was taken away and the door was closed. The 11 year old girl could do nothing but watch, powerless, in despair. She was now all alone in that cell.

Raphaelle was later executed by hanging as Alfonso had announced in front of a small crowd. Many had cheered, especially in light of the recent events. However, some who had known her and her family who hadn’t taken an active combatting role during the events of the Medici-Pazzi conflict, refused to believe the horrible things they were accused of.

Such was the case of Alberto, the painter who had defended Neri and her mother against Sina, Alfonso’s wife. He was present at the execution and right after her death he closed his eyes and said internally

“May the lord welcome you in heaven, Signora Pazzi. I can’t imagine what you had to go through” and left the execution place, shedding a tear before leaving the place.

A lot of time had passed and it was now August and as Neri was on her bed, isolated, the door of the cell, opened. And a man entered the room with several guards once again. Knowing what had happened the other times, she thought that this meant nothing and prepared for the worst. The man alongside the guards was someone she was never seen before .

“Buongiorno signorina, I am Cornelio Bonelli. I have good news. Your aunt, from Paris has paid a significant amount for your release, she has been trying tirelessly for months now, so you are getting out. Lorenzo thinks it’s probably pointless to keep you here anyway.”

"I...I am free ? I am getting out ? Aunt Madeleine is getting me out ?” Neri asked in complete disbelief.

“Yes you are getting out. Your aunt is here and she is waiting for you to take you out of the city.” he added with a relatively annoyed tone.

“But what about Marco ? Is he coming too ? Where is he ?”.

“Well I guess my good friend Alfonso didn’t treat him that well after all. The boy died just 2 days ago of illness and exhaustion. You should be grateful, at least he is reunited with his parents.”

Enough was enough, possessed by rage, the little girl attacked Cornelio and tried to hit him repeatedly by screaming 

“You monsters!! You killed my little brother!! You murdered my family!!”.

However this had barely any effect on the man who said to her 

“Well, clearly not your entire family, your aunt is still here.” before swiftly knocking her out.

“Neri ? Neri can you hear me ? It’s Tante (aunt) Madeleine” . A few hours after being knocked out. She was on a bench, still in the prison but of her cell in a sleeping position.

“Tante Madeleine ?” Neri asked while getting up.

“Oh god, I am so sorry. For everything, I should have done more to-”

“No, it’s not your fault.” She answered on the verge of tears. Madeleine was also teary eyed and simply hugged her niece for what felt like an eternity.

Afterwards, after trying to dry her niece’s eyes and her own, Madeleine pursued 

“They….they handed over Marco’s body, just in case you wished to do one last thing”

“What ? where ?”

“In the room just over there.” Madeleine answered.

Neri then added “Can.. Could I have a moment alone there, please ?”

“Of course chérie (dear), I understand, go now.” 

Neri then advanced and opened the door to the room and saw the body covered with white cloth and then closed the door. She removed the cloth to reveal her dead brother. She wanted to say something, she really did, but had no words. Only pain,suffering, anger at those who had defamed, humiliated and destroyed her family within a matter of months.

A huge amount of intense negative emotion was building up, all over her body, until she screamed as loud as she could, as she had ever had and at that moment. At the same time she started noticing a strange sensation, a burning feeling on her right palm and after looking at it, she saw a small glowing diamond-shaped mark on that palm, she was still holding her right palm in pain as it was burning until she collapsed once again.

Madeleine found her soon after and after she woke up, they found a place to bury her brother’s body and then, they left Florence for the coast and then embarked on a ship for France. Madeleine hadn’t noticed the mark as it was quite small and even if she had, she would probably assume it was a common mark, but Neri also didn’t feel like talking to her about it at least not now so she stayed mostly silent for most of the trip. 

Despite that, she was still internally worried about what this strange mark represented and why it had just magically appeared on her palm. From that moment, Neri knew that one day, she would have to come back. Alfonso, Sina, Cornelio, she would have their heads. All of them. But if she were to get revenge on them it probably wouldn't happen anytime soon. Probably not before 5, 6 or even 7 years of intense training as she was just an 11 year old girl in 1483.

And Ezio ? She would find him too, she hadn't exactly decided the specifics but she would find him and question him on his role in this entire affair. From this point it would be easy to assume that her battle against Ezio in Monteriggioni years from now, is simply driven by revenge, however this would be far too simple, as several other things would happen and this was just the beginning of her journey.

Madeleine was accompanied by 2 bodyguards, one called Frédéric who also was her butler. She had a daughter, Camille who had the same age as Neri with her late husband who had married into her family as his own was not as prestigious and therefore she kept her maiden name Rousseau. Madeleine was only 31 years old, born in 1452, and was 2 years younger than her older sister Raphaelle, born in 1450. Camille stayed in Paris with Madeleine’s servants and other bodyguards.

After 12 days of travel by sea and then by land, they finally made it to the French capital and then arrived at Madeleine’s estate.

**Author's note : If you enjoy this story, please leave a review, even a short one, it helps a lot. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Paris, August 1483** _

It had been 2 days since Neri had arrived in Paris. She had remained mostly in her room in bed on Madeleine’s advice as she was still exhausted, physically and mentally. She had met the household staff, and each one of them were extremely kind to her, especially Madeleine’s maid Sophie. The same was true for her cousin Camille, who had given her a long hug when she arrived and also tried her best to comfort her and always seemed full of positive energy, at levels that Neri herself didn’t have even when her parents and her brother were still alive. Camille’s positivity would have normally felt contagious, but still, Neri had a hard time to really open up that much.

It was early in the morning and Neri was still in bed, reflecting on the recent events. Marco, Raphaelle, Daniele, she would sometimes tear up when thinking of them. She understandably had trouble living with the fact that they were now gone, all gone. But she knew that sooner or later, she would have to rebuild herself. She also knew that she would have to get revenge on the people responsible someday, but at that time in August of 1483, getting revenge still seemed many years away, she was just an 11 year old traumatized girl with no training.

There was a somber irony to the situation. Just a few months ago, she had trouble reconciling Ezio’s image as that of a one capable of murder, even though she understood why he would do such a thing in the face of such an apparent injustice. But now, after her own experience, she understood him even more and yet she also resented him for aligning himself with Lorenzo de’ Medici as well as his blurry role in the events of last April. A role that she was determined to know more about in the future.

And what of that mysterious mark ? What could it be ? Was it a disease ? A curse maybe ? She had no idea and she still hadn’t told anyone about it but her anxiety towards it was steadily growing. After a few more minutes of thinking, she was interrupted when she heard someone knocking at the door.

“Nerissa ? Are you awake ? I’ve brought you some breakfast”. It was Camille’s voice.

“Yes, one second I’m coming,” she answered.

She then got up and opened the door, revealing her brown-haired cousin holding a rather appetizing platter with some soup, loafs of bread and meat among others, with a smile on her face.

“Good Morning, Sophie made a special soup for you. She said it will help you feel better.” Camille said as she entered.

“Oh, right. Merci (Thank you)” Neri answered from a relatively weak voice and with a sad expression on her face.

Camille then put the platter on the desk in the room and turned to face Neri:

“I know I have said this a lot since you have arrived here but I am really sorry about everything. When you feel better and when you’re ready, I’ll make sure that we go out with Maman one day, so that you can get to see the city a bit. It might help cheer you up a bit, in these tough times” Camille said, dropping her smile a bit, looking at her cousin in a worried fashion after seeing Neri’s own expression.

“Yes, thanks. It’s...It’s really kind of you.” Neri responded with the same passive expression.

Camille then advanced and hugged Neri tight for a few seconds.

“Let me know, If you need anything. We’re here for you.” Camille added while pulling back. “I’ll let you eat now, I’ll be in my room. Bon Appétit (enjoy your meal).” After that she left the room.

Neri felt bad regarding the interaction. She knew that Camille clearly understood her depressed state, and yet she couldn’t help but feel bad as she thought that she came across as just a bit cold towards someone who only wanted to help. The feeling was difficult to explain. So she went back to her bed for a few more minutes of looking at the ceiling, she went to the desk and started eating her meal.

Sophie’s soup was indeed delicious and had quite a relaxing feeling. Within hours, Neri could feel her headache get better for example. And after eating she went back to her bed in order to get more rest.

Several hours later, during the afternoon, in the living room, Madeleine was standing in front of a large portrait, looking fairly distraught. Depicted in it, were Raphaelle and Daniele, Neri’s parents. The portrait was made not long after their marriage and they had sent one to Madeleine.

Madeleine then advanced towards the painting, rested her head and hand against it and closed her eyes.

“You had so many years ahead of you, grande soeur (older sister). Why ? Why did they take you away ?” She said as she started tearing up

“Do you remember ? When we used to run around the house togethers as kids ? Me stealing an apple in the kitchen ? And you lying for me so that I don’t get punished ? And yet still pulling me aside to teach me it was wrong afterwards ?” She continued

“It was so hard for me to accept you leaving France in order to get married to Daniele. I cried so much that day, even though I knew that we would see each other just once every few years. But ultimately, you said in your letters that were happy with your marriage and your life in Florence, so I had no reason not to be as well.” She added

“Wherever your soul and those of Marco and Daniele may be right now, I hope you manage to find peace. I will take care of Neri. I will care for her as if she was my own child. I promise you.” She said before she started sobbing and covered her mouth with her hand still facing the painting. She stayed like that for about 5 minutes or so.

Madeleine truly loved her sister and really looked up to her. Perhaps just as much as Marco looked up to Neri, though the age difference between Madeleine and Raphaelle was smaller, only 2 years compared to Neri and her little brother's 7 year difference (and Madeleine was only 31 years old in 1483).

Tears were still flowing down her face when she turned around, only to see Neri in front of her with the same sad expression she’s had since she arrived. She had woken up and secretly witnessed everything

Upon realizing that, Madeleine immediately tried to dry her eyes and change her expression, trying to put up a weak smile.

“Neri! Chérie (dear), did you sleep well?”

But the young girl didn’t answer. Seeing how distraught her aunt was, she simply went towards her in order to hold her tight. It almost felt like her body was moving on its own. She knew just how close Madeleine was to Raphaelle but it’s as if seeing her aunt like this, in such despair,somehow truly convinced her that others might be hurting about this situation maybe just slightly as much as she was.

Madeleine was surprised by her niece’s sudden hug, but she understood and simply held her as well, in complete silence. No words.

After a few minutes, Neri broke the silence.

“I miss her Tante Madeleine (aunt Madeleine), I miss them all.”

“I know, chérie, of course I know. I have trouble accepting it too, as you have seen. Don’t worry, you’re safe here” Madeleine answered.

After some silence, she asked “Sophie told me she made a special soup for you, to help with your recovery. Did you like it ?”

“Yes, I did. She is a great cook” Neri answered

“Glad to hear that Neri,” her aunt then said.

“Can I...hum..take a book or two from your library to my room ? I think it might help me pass the time before I fully recover.” Neri asked

“Of course, take as many as you want, Neri. Come, I'll show my collection” her aunt responded.

They took the stairs and Madeleine took Neri to her library which was in a specifically dedicated room next to Madeleine’s office and was therefore quite extensive. There were two large bookshelves respectively on the right and left of anyone entering the room

“So here we are. Pick whatever you like, there are different enough types that you might find something to your taste.” Madeleine said.

“Merci, Tante Madeleine.” Neri responded. She then walked to the left, taking a look at several books before picking one out randomly.

Strangely enough, this particular book did not have a title on the cover, and when Neri opened it, and when started flipping its pages she could not understand the language displayed in front of her. On top of that, the book also happened to have strange illustrations and drawing on many of the pages.

A lot of them were of monsters, oddly looking plants, groups of women doing things that she could not exactly comprehend among many other things.

“Found something you like, chérie (dear) ?” Madeleine asked from a small distance in the room, noticing Neri being engrossed in one specific book.

“What’s the name of this book, tante Madeleine ? I can’t find it anywhere” Neri responded.

“Oh, let me see.” Madeleine said while getting closer.

“Oh yeah THAT one. It’s funny, I have no idea. Even the man I bought it from in that bookstore not too far from here doesn’t seem to know.” she added.

“Even he doesn’t know ? And what is this language ? I’ve never seen it before, do you know it ?” Neri asked

“No, I don’t, also neither does the seller. Which is quite amusing as I know a lot of languages and have always been passionate about learning even more. I bought it a few weeks before you came here, because it looked oddly interesting. It’s probably written in some sort of dead language. I was thinking of playing around one day at deciphering, thought it might help me as a bit of a distraction, with everything that’s happened recently. Plus it wasn’t very expensive so..” Madeleine delivered from an increasingly somber and depressed tone.

“This bookseller is selling books without even knowing their content ? That’s….odd” Neri sid to her aunt

“You can maybe take it to your room if you want, Neri. Is there anything else you wanted to look at ?” Madeleine asked

Neri then went around on the right and picked another book, memories of a minor knight that fought under Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) during the Hundred years war (1337-1453) against the English, showed it to Madeleine and said :

“These two should do it for now. Merci tante Madeleine (Thank you Aunt Madeleine).”

Neri had already read quite a few things about Jeanne in the past so it was a natural reaction to show interest in a book like that. However she was still more intrigued by the strange book.

“De rien (you’re welcome), Neri. I’ll be in my office, working if you need me” Madeleine kissed then her niece on the forehead and left.

After that Neri went to her room and put the Jeanne d'Arc book on her nightstand, sat on the bed with the strange book and started flipping the pages once more. She must have spent around 40 minutes looking at those pages but she got no closer to even imagining or making any sort of solid theory on what the content of the book might be based on the odd illustrations and drawings.

“Who the hell, could have written this thing ?” She thought internally.

She was still looking at the book, trying to comprehend it when someone knocked at the door of her room.

“Nerissa ? Est-ce que je peux entrer ? (Can I come in ?)”.

It sounded like Sophie, the maid.

“Oui, entrez (Yes come in)” Neri answered.

“I have made you two other bowls of the soup you had this morning. I was told you enjoyed it so I think it might help you even further.” Sophie said while she entered the room and put the 2 bowls on the desk.

“Yes, I really did. Thank you Sophie.”

“My pleasure.”

After Sophie left, Neri continued her “reading” but unsurprisingly, not much came of it. After a while, she got tired, had her soup and simply decided to go get some rest. So she left the strange book on her nightstand open at the first page and went to sleep.

While her sleep was initially peaceful, she started having dreams. And those soon turned into nightmares, about her dead family. Marco, her mother and her father. In the nightmare she could remember seeing the look her father gave her right before he was assassinated. She relived the moment when she tried to escape by horse right afterwards, but in this nightmare, she was pursued by monsters, similar to the ones in the book.

She also saw Marco being mistreated in it by Alfonso and Sina. Since she obviously wasn’t there to see it, it was simply her imagining all of the horrible things they could have done to her little brother.

She then heard her mother's last words to her “Jure le moi! (Swear it to me!)” as Raphaelle was being taken away from her. The nightmare then showed Neri, her mom being strangled to death by the plants of the books, as Neri simply knew Raphaelle was executed by hanging due to Alfonso’s lies.

Seeing her mother like this in the nightmare, she started screaming within the nightmare. “Non, Non, Maman….MAMAN!!!” (No, no, mom…..MOM!!!).

She then woke up in panic during the middle of the night, terrified and breathing heavily. More than that, she noticed that her mark had started glowing once again, which led her to hold her wrist with her other hand in confusion. A few seconds later, her vision became blurry and then she started seeing everything around her in dark blue instead of natural colors and it seemed like she could see through walls and through objects in her room. It felt very strange. Soon after that, again, her sight went back to normal for a few seconds and then right after, the chair next to the desk in her room started glowing yellow before it went back to normal again.

It happened very quickly, but the experience outside of being confusing, was a bit exhausting and her head was hurting a bit. However this wouldn’t be the only weird thing she would experience that night.

Strangely enough, when she randomly turned to her nightstand, with her mark still glowing, she noticed that she could NOW read the words written on the very first introductory page of the strange book, what appeared to be the title of the book.

On the page, she could read _“The secret history of the Isu : The earth’s first civilization”_

She couldn’t believe what exactly was happening around her. First the dark blue vision, yellow glowing objects, seeing through walls and solid objects and now being able to read a language she did not know just a few hours before ? What in the world was going on ? Was she still dreaming ?

No, she was no longer dreaming at that point, it was real. Somehow, her mark glowing allowed her to understand the language in which that book was written but how. She was so confused that she spent around 2 minutes simply staring at the first page but when she decided to flip it in order to read the rest, her mark stopped glowing and all of sudden, the writing went back to being unreadable, even though she had memorized the first words. This clearly did not help the state of utter confusion she was in.

 _“The earth’s first civilization”_ . Was this some sort of fiction the author came up with ? And _“The Isu”_ ?. She had never heard of that name before.

She did try to reactivate her mark as it seemed to allow her to read, but she failed to do so. Even then, why ? Why did this strange mark suddenly give her the ability to understand this language ? Why did the mark even appear ? What was the meaning of all this ?

Neri had no idea and was too tired to keep thinking, so she just went back to sleep , confused and scared. More than ever before.

2 days had passed since that particular night. She spent them mostly in bed, replaying the events that had occurred and asking herself a thousand questions. But on the third day, she decided to get out of her room a bit, to get some fresh air and try to deal better with her own feelings. She did feel guilty about not being closer to Camille. They still talked a bit and Camille had come to visit her on the first and second day after that night alongside Madeleine, but she felt like she had fully opened up to her cousin and that maybe doing so would help her deal better with her grief and allow her to regain a slightly healthier state of mind. Her and Camille had the same age (11 years old) after all, so it also felt wrong not to at least try harder to get along more. Regardless of what would happen, she could not stay in bed like this forever.

However she did not mention the mark nor what had happened that strange night. When Madeleine asked her how she enjoyed the books, she lied and simply said that she still had no idea what the peculiar book said and that she was too tired to read the book about Jeanne at the moment.

Since the mark had appeared in such a sudden manner and seemed to grant her strange powers that she was not yet able to control, she was really scared about mentioning it to Madeleine or Camille. She obviously knew they cared deeply for her, but she had no idea how they would react to such unnatural occurrences, and Neri would have nowhere to go if her aunt were to kick her out, simply out of fear of the mark and its powers it granted.

With how much love her aunt had displayed towards her, she really wanted to think that Madeleine (or Camille) wouldn’t care and still accept her, she had ample reasons to think that. The mark randomly appeared, it did not seem like it was her fault, plus would Madeleine really abandon her niece for such a thing after what Neri had witnessed in front of the painting and everything she had told her afterwards ? However there was still a feeling of uncertainty in her mind. Neri being kicked out because Madeleine would be scared of her mark seemed both realistic and unrealistic at the same time

But still, on the third day after that night, she decided to try and get closer to Camille and to this time be the one to go visit her in her room. The conversation about the mark and everything that came with it will have to be had one day, but for now she would simply try to get along with her cousin.

In the morning, Nerissa left her room and went to Camille’s and knocked on the door.

“Camille ? Are you awake ? It’s me, Nerissa”

“Neri ? Yes, come in!” Camille responded

Neri then entered and closed the door and was invited to sit on the bed.

“Bonjour (Good morning) Neri, is everything alright ? You don’t usually come here.” Camille continued

“Yes everything is fine (she was lying), I just wanted….uhm...Well you see since I’ve arrived here I feel like I’ve been a bit unfairly distant. It kind of was to be expected due to the circumstances but I still felt bad about it” Neri said

“No no, you really shouldn’t feel like this. I understand. I’ve already told you”

Neri started looking down in silence. But Camille continued a few seconds after.

“You know, even though it was not as awful as what you have suffered, when my father died of illness, he suffered horribly, every part of his body was hurting, I saw everything and I also had trouble reopening to others for quite a long time, even with Maman. I did not want to accept it. To accept that he was gone or could even be gone, I was just 5 years old, not that I am particularly old now but still...”

“Oh...I am really sorry. I never knew the details.” Said Neri

“Don’t be. I know that what you went through is even more horrific, so I get that it might be even more painful for you to truly open up. But if you feel ready, I am glad. I am really happy that you came.” Camille said with a smile

Neri also delivered a weak smile. She was glad that Camille was that understanding, even though her heart also broke in a way, regarding what she had just heard. She then looked around the room and saw a chessboard on a table.

“Uhm...maybe we could play some chess if you’d like ?” Neri suggested. She thought that a game might be an effective way of bringing them closer.

“Sure, why not ? I’m sure it’s going to be fun.” Camille answered with a smile.

So they started playing, and through friendly competition, Camille’s overall mood started to affect her cousin. Neri’s playful frustration at Camille’s skills and her deep concentration during the game was delightful for the latter. Not just because she won several times but also because it allowed Neri, at least in her eyes, to focus on and plunge herself into something other than her tragic past, even just for a moment.

“Checkmate again! Haha!” Camille said after yet a fourth quick victory

“Sigh, well I guess you are much too strong for me then.” Neri said

“Don’t worry, practice makes perfect. Keep playing and I’m sure you’ll be able to beat me in about 50 years.” Camille joked.

Surprisingly, this joke managed to get a small chuckle out of Neri and her cousin was even more delighted in the face of that.

“I’m really happy you came here today. It’s glad to see you like this.”

“Thank you Camille, it was really fun” Neri answered  
At one point, there was a knock on the door. It was Madeleine and she came in soon after.

“Oh, there you are Neri, I was looking for you.” She said

“Bonjour Maman! (Good morning mom)” Camille said to her mother

“Bonjour chérie (Good morning dear), I see you two have been playing chess. I’m glad you’re getting along” Madeleine said with a smile.

“Yes tante Madeleine, I’m glad about it too.” Neri answered

“I am really happy about that, Neri. I also wanted to tell you breakfast is ready, I was thinking we could eat together today, what do you think girls ?” Madeleine proposed

Both girls accepted and they all ate together. While they were having their meal, Camille had proposed that they go out together tomorrow, so that Neri could get to see interesting parts of Paris. Madeleine agreed and Neri did as well. She thought it might be a good idea for her own sake and a good way to get closer to her aunt and cousin but it would also allow her to visit the shop where the “Isu” book was purchased.

During the afternoon, while Madeleine was in her office working, Camille proposed to Neri that they try to paint together in an arts room in the house and Neri gladly accepted her proposal. Back in Florence, Neri had been taking painting lessons since she was around 8 so while she was no absolute genius, she was quite good at it for her age. Camille on the other hand, was not so gifted in the exercise.

The two girls tried to paint a simple brown table with a variety of fruits on it. It lasted around 2 or 3 hours. Neri’s result was quite good, much better than Camille’s, by the latter’s own admission.

“Wow, you’re really great at it. You have me beat here. Who knows you could maybe sell some of your art one day.” Camille told her cousin

“Thank you. I doubt I’d be very successful but who knows what could happen ?” Neri responded

“Anyway, I’m glad you won at this game, I’m sure it makes you happy and is a healthy distraction from what happened and a great display of talent. We should do this more often, I promise you I’ll get better.” Camille said

“Sure, I’ll be glad to practice again. with you” responded Neri

“Great. I’m a bit tired so I’ll go to my room for a bit. It’s been great spending so much time with you today Neri, I can’t wait to take you out with Maman tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it too, Camille”

After that, Camille gave her cousin a smile and had turned around and was about to leave the room when Neri called her by name.

“Camille ?” she said

“Yes ?” Camille responded

Neri then proceeded to walk to her and give her a hug, which Camille gladly returned.

“Thank you so much, Camille. For everything” Neri told her cousin while embracing her.

“We’re family, Neri, it’s natural.” Camille told her.

“I know.” Neri responded, tearing up a bit.

After the embrace, both girls went to their respective rooms to get some rest. It had been a pretty good day for Neri. She had managed to think about something other than her tragedy, or her mark, at least for a bit. However, this would make it even more heartbreaking for her, should Camille and Madeleine react negatively to her mark and its apparent implications. But somehow, the more time she spent with the both of them, the more she became convinced that they would still love her regardless even though her doubts had not been completely eradicated.

The next day, Camille, Madeleine and Neri got ready to go out. Neri took the book with her. They were accompanied by Frederic, Madeleine’s butler/lead bodyguard and travelled around the city by carriage. Paris was a beautiful city from Neri’s perspective. They visited a few buildings, some art expositions, got to have a look at the river seine. Neri really enjoyed the day and Camille in her usual outspoken and positive self, did as well, more than anyone else present.

At some point, while the group was mainly focused on one the arts exposition, Neri was the first one to notice a woman sitting in the street who was begging for money, she immediately alerted Madeleine who was then happy to give the poor woman some money, enough to feed herself for a few days. The woman was really greatful and thanked Madeleine and Neri dearly.

Then, when they were about to finish their day and they were about to visit the particular bookstore, something quite interesting and funny happened.

They had gotten out of their carriage, as they were on their way to the bookstore, which was right in front of them, they made an interesting encounter. They came across a woman and young boy, her son, around Neri and Camille’s age.

“Bonjour Éloise, I did not expect to see you here.” Madeleine told the woman

“Bonjour Madeleine, I could say the same, How are you ?” she responded

As the two women were exchanging greetings and having a conversation, Madeleine had introduced Neri as her niece to Eloise and the latter introduced her son Marcel to Neri. However, funnily enough Camille was seemingly trying to hide behind her mother. It took Neri a small moment before she understood why her usually extroverted cousin was acting this way : it was Eloise’s son, the boy in front of them.

It seemed like she was almost blushing, however Madeleine herself didn’t appear to notice much of her daughter’s behavior, still focused on her conversation with Eloise. Marcelhimself, was simply smiling mildly at the two girls. Since Marcel was only introduced to Neri and as their mothers knew each other, Neri deduced that Camille had probably met Marcel before, which would explain the situation. Neri did find the encounter amusing. The ultra extroverted Camille being this destabilized by what seemed to be a crush.

After Eloise and Marcel left, Madeleine had noticed how silent Camille was and had asked her if she was fine, to which Camille said yes. Camille, embarrassed by the whole thing, had then asked to stay in the carriage which Frederic was watching and wait for Neri and Madeleine to finish what they needed to do in the bookstore so that they could go home. Neri then smiled at her cousin who returned a weak smile, before she went into the bookstore with Madeleine.

“Ah, Madame Rousseau, I’m glad to see you back here. What can I do for you today ?” The owner greeted them with

“Bonjour, Monsieur Olivier (Hello Mister Olivier). I’m here with my niece, who had some questions for you, regarding the book I bought from you recently.” Madeleine said

“Ah, I see the one. Well, what would you like to know, Mademoiselle (Miss) ?” Olivier said while turning his attention to Neri

“It’s this one” Neri said while showing him the book and flipping some of the pages. “It’s written in a strange language. Tante Madeleine told me you do not know who wrote it or what it is even about.”

“That is right, Mademoiselle. That book is a strange one indeed. A real enigma. But somehow I felt almost….drawn to it. Who knows, maybe someone wanted to hide a massive amount of gold somewhere and I decided to write it in code for whoever was smart enough to understand the writing, as a reward for the effort, maybe ? That’s the best theory I could come up with..” Olivier added

“But why would someone just leave gold for strangers like that ? If they had such a large amount of money they didn’t need much, and wanted to be generous why not just give it all directly to those in need ? That’s what I would do.” Neri then said which prompted Madeleine to smile, a bit proud of her niece, as she remembered the encounter with the woman in the streets a few hours ago.

“Who really knows ? The world works in strange ways, sadly not every decision can be explained by logic.” Olivier added

“I see. So where did you find it then ?” Neri asked Olivier

“Well that's simple yet funny. I found it in Italy, in Naples to be precise. I came across the book while it was lying on the ground with no one around. I went around a bit for a few hours and tried to see if anyone relatively close by had lost it but no one claimed the book so I decided to keep for myself and as it looked quite strange I assumed that someone might be interested in it in the future.”

“I see, Merci Monsieur.” Neri told him

“My pleasure Mademoiselle.” He responded

“Will that be all, chérie ?” Madeleine asked her niece

“Oui, Tante Madeleine (Yes aunt madeleine)”

“Well then, We have to return home, Merci Monsieur Olivier” Madeleine then said before she took Neri and exited the store.

When they arrived back home in the afternoon at around 3pm, Neri had thanked Madeleine and Camille, who had gotten better by now, for spending such a great day. She also thanked Frederic for accompanying them.

“We should do this more often.” Neri said to Madeleine

“I am sure we will have many more occasions to do so, chérie” Madeleine said with a smile

Camille had also agreed and the three of them hugged each other simultaneously. After that Neri went back to her room in order to rest a bit. She had deeply enjoyed this day and kept replaying some of the events in her head, but all of sudden she started thinking about the incident again, about the tragedy.

And it’s as if her good mood was evaporating and was being slowly replaced by pain and anger. She then started to replay those less fortunate events, her father’s death, the arrest, Marco and her mother being taken away, the mark awakening but then, she suddenly realised something.

The mark. The only times the mark had truly awakened so far where during moments of intense pain and anger. The first time in front of Marco’s dead body, and the second during that horrific nightmare a few days ago. Pain and anger, maybe that was the key ? Maybe that is what the mark responded to, at least initially maybe only as a method of initial activation ?

Neri then decided to fully test this theory, she grabbed the book and positioned herself onto the bed in a sitting position and closed her eyes. She then started to focus, she brought back into her mind every possible bad and painful memories she could think of but also tried not to get overwhelmed by them too much and too stay focused,

After intensely trying and focusing for around 10 minutes, the mark started glowing again but she tried to remain focused and to now take a hold of herself, and closed her eyes again but was still able to feel the mark activated.

Another 18 minutes later, after she noticed the mark was still active and glowing and that she had seemingly gotten a hold of it, she then started flipping the title page of the book, in order to look at the second, that she now could also understand. Strangely, she felt that it now took her mind less effort to keep the mark active but still kept a degree of concentration.

In the second page, she could read _“Seeking a docile species that could be used as servants and extra military force, they would create humans in their own image, or mostly at the very least. They did possess humanoid form but their skin was extremely pale and the pupils of their eyes yellow. Their physical and intellectual abilities were also quite above what a human being could achieve and they possessed a variety of other different powers. They had inhabited this planet long before mankind and were far more advanced as a result. They designed and manipulated weapons that could accomplish incredible feats. They were called The Isu and were earth’s first civilization, the ones who came before, and perhaps humanity’s greatest secret.”_

Neri was far too intrigued by this reveal to stop, so she kept reading. The book indicates that it was written in the Isu language and does not go into details about where exactly the Isu came from, but simply that “they came before.” and they called planet earth “Kandrakar” between themselves instead. The book further reveals several things. First, the weapons mentioned earlier were given the name “Pieces of Eden” and varied greatly in their shapes, sizes and abilities. Anything from a glowing sword to a glowing orb called “Apple of Eden”. Each type of piece of eden could have several near-replicas with the same powers, but slightly different patterns on them such as the apples for example. In fact these apples through their power, were one of the primary instruments used by the Isu to keep humans subservient and basically in a state of slavery.

Humans were not initially supposed to have massive amounts of free thought, though some of it was needed, as being literal puppets on strings at all times would not exactly be ideal for the Isu’s needs. Ironically, the constant exposure to pieces of Eden over the course of thousands upon thousands upon THOUSANDS of years created and developed the ability to think for oneself among human descendents. And the more intelligent they became over the years, the more some of the Isu descendents would come to be uncomfortable with the state of subjugation the humans found themselves in.

As a second major reveal, some of the Isu’s physical abilities were revealed. Their strength,speed, stamina,reflexes and intelligence were much higher than the average human and they possessed a strong healing factor. Interestingly enough, they had a 360 degree field of vision, could decipher any coded scripture and writing and could see up to 800 meters in all directions at all times. Furthermore, They possess the ability to see through objects, walls and other living beings including other Isu and to mark any object of person they want with their vision, in order to track them.

As additional abilities, they are able to make their eyes glow yellow, to freely manipulating their vocal cords in order to heighten or lower their voices and they also possessed quite a large lifespan of around 500 years for the average Isu, while keeping a relatively youthful appearance for a long time and without losing their physical capacities, with a select few having effectively achieved immortality by natural causes by stopping their process of aging entirely. However, how this near immortality was achieved, was not specified in the book

The second reveal was particularly interesting, as Isu's visual powers mentioned in the book share some similarities with the ones she had experienced the other night. Unlike the Isu for example, she did not remember being able to see through living flesh like her own body but only through objects and walls. She was a bit uncomfortable with where this was going but simply eager for more information she kept reading.

Thirdly, it was revealed that around 80 000 years BC, many of the humans tried to revolt by stealing pieces of eden and trying to use them against the Isu as this was the only way that humans could realistically harm the Isu. The Isu were completely invulnerable to all human physical attacks or all man-made weapons, however,.They (Isu) were vulnerable to pieces of eden and could be hurt by them, but the problem was that, humans lacked the necessary active genes to use the pieces of eden effectively and safely for continuous periods of time without greatly hurting themselves and effectively destroying their own minds in the process, a fate that many human rebels shared but not without causing some damages to others in the process.

Humans could therefore only use the pieces of eden in an extremely sporadic manner ,with massive intervals of time and not too intensely, otherwise they would be putting themselves at risk. Whereas the Isu could manipulate those weapons far more effectively and for massive lengths of continuous time without any of those side effects outside of natural fatigue that comes with a lot of effort.

As previously mentioned, at the same time, some of the Isu were growing opposed to the subjugation of humans and this had led to infighting. However, a mysterious great catastrophe struck the planet, devastating the ranks of both species. The humans were severely crippled, but the incident affected the Isu in a worse manner, as they were after all, less numerous.

Not much further details are given regarding the incident or the war, but it is revealed that after the calm had returned, only 3 members of the Isu species were left : Juno (a female Isu), Aita (a male Isu) and their daughter Jyn, and all 3 had recused and isolated themselves from the human race. However many of the pieces of eden were still scattered and hidden around the world.

It is later revealed that with their remaining strength and knowledge they started building Isu temples that were hiding incredibly powerful things. One of those temples is called “The Vault”. Not long after the vault was built, Aita and Juno died and Jyn was the only remaining Isu left on earth. However, both of her parents had pre-uploaded their consciousness somewhere by using Isu technology, allowing them to observe humanity’s history even beyond death, a relatively common practice for many Isu and this was something that Jyn will also do, so that she could be reunited with her parents after death..

After getting physically weaker due to their work on the temple, Jyn then came out once more in the outside world and then met, got closer to, and fell in love with a human male and and she eventually bore him a son. The skin of Jyn’s son was a lot less pale than other Isu, but still a bit paler than humans and while his eyes retained a small yellow tint, her son lacked the particular aura and expressiveness in his eyes that made the Isu’s look special. It's important to mention that Jyn and her “husband” lived relatively far away and quite a bit isolated from other humans though not completely.

The next part is where things got even more interesting. Years later, when Jyn and her husband had died, Jyn’s grandson, Horan, who this time looked indistinguishable from other humans, started experiencing a strange phenomenon.

At one point, Horan awakened a mark on his left palm. The book explains that this mark is the result of the activation of a dormant Isu gene that Horan possessed, as his grandmother was an Isu. According to the book, all of Jyn’s descendents possessed the gene in them and with her early descendents it was easy to activate but over the centuries, it weakened greatly and while several humans still possessed the dormant gene in them, for the vast majority, actually activating the mark through the gene had become nearly impossible. However, a very small minority of Jyn’s hybrid descendents of the centuries, who came to look indistinguishable from other normal humans, still retained a strong ability to activate the mark. But how exactly was this mark activated ?

The book reveals that the mark, a small diamond-shape pattern, awakens on a hybrid’s palm (left or right) after the latter experiences an extremely powerful emotion, a positive or negative one. The mark had two stages and gave the hybrids some powers that were quite similar to that of the Isu themselves, but the abilities given by the mark were still quite inferior to anything a pure blooded Isu could achieve.

Not having a clear mind can trouble a hybrid’s ability to take an initial hold of the mark.While the emotion is required for initial stabilization of the mark, but after that stabilization is complete, the emotion is not required for simple activation and the mark-bearer can easily activate its mark and use its powers.. However even a hybrid who has mastered its mark can sometimes see his/her mark activate without their control when he or she is in intense emotional turmoil.

In its first stage, the mark gave the hybrid the ability to see through solid objects and to mark any object or living being in order to track them (all of that in a dark blue background instead of natural-colored vision), but only up to a certain distance, meaning that if the object of person being tracked were to get too far away from the hybrid, the visual tracker would disappear. This visual “tracker” would manifest itself in the form of a yellow glowing tint on whatever of whoever was being tracked. This made sense, as the book specified that mark-bearing hybrids do not share the Isu 360 degree vision or their ability to directly see at far away distances (800 meters). Users at this stage could also use pieces of eden far more effectively and far longer continuously than normal humans.

Another ability granted by the first stage, would be the decipherment of any form of coded writing, even forms of communication not naturally known to the hybrid, this time similar to Isu's own power. While some hybrids had managed to master their mark’s powers by themselves, they were in the minority, as many of those who got it never fully did.

The second stage of the mark, was achieved through prolonged exposure of a hybrid mark-bearer to a piece of eden. In the second stage, on top the pre-existing diamond-shape pattern on the user’s palm, a small circle appears on the backside of the hand.

The second stage offers additional abilities such as even greater ability to manipulate pieces of eden (however still not on the Isu’s level of control), an ultra advanced healing factor allowing their wounds to heal at a relatively fast rate, greater resistance to human diseases, GREATLY enhanced sensory skills allowing the users to fight even with eyes closed but just SLIGHTLY enhanced physical abilities (strength, speed, agility and stamina).

Finally, among other abilities granted by the second stage, we could mention a slower aging process, though it clearly would not allow the second-stage users to live nearly as long as the Isu themselves, just as the increases in physical and sensorial abilities in the 2nd stage were less developed than those of the ones who came before.

It was also important to mention that the mark-bearers could develop secondary abilities, unique to each individual, however not much detail was given on those secondary powers. The book then says that knowledge of the Isu, their culture and impact had been nearly completely forgotten by humans over the centuries.

Neri had been reading for around 4 hours and a half now, was getting a bit tired but was going quickly through the pages but this time she had to stop herself for a bit. It all started to make sense, the mark’s powers, the dark blue background, seeing through solid things, why she was able to read this language, the circumstances in which the mark itself was awakened. She was a descendent of Jyn from a line that had retained its ability to awaken the mark, there was no doubt about it. But, who was the author of this book ? And how did they gain such knowledge ?

The book seemed to be recent, it couldn’t have possibly been written from Jyn’s time, or at least she thought so. Did this effectively mean that everything she had been thinking about the origins of humanity up to this point had been fake ? It seemed like it was the case and it was a lot to take in, but she had to continue, the author still had not revealed his or her identity but maybe it would be revealed at the end ? So, with this in mind, she kept reading.

_“Among the most interesting of those who bear the mark, The famous Maid of Orléans deserves to be mentioned. I was there at the battle of Patay in 1429, I saw her mark with my own eyes. She inspired respect, respect I never lost by the way as history would attest“_

“Wait, The Maid of Orléans? Jeanne ? Jeanne d’Arc ? That’s what they called her! She had the mark too ?” Neri said internally, not expecting to read about Jeanne in this book. She had to stop again and think. So whoever wrote this did so in this current century, might even still be alive though probably quite old, and saw Jeanne during the famous battle of Patay in 1429 and developed some form of long lasting admiration for her. But what did this person mean by “as history would attest ?” Was the writer of this book an important person in history ? Was he or she a simple soldier or one of Jeanne’s famous companions in arms ? Or maybe just a civilian ? Neri had to continue reading.

However no further hint towards the writer’s identity was given but Neri then reached perhaps one of the most important sections of the book at this point. The book mentions an individual called “The Prophet” among the hybrids who has the mark and who would bring unprecedented change towards the world by using a tool hidden in one of the temples that Jyn built with her parents, “The Vault”..

A fiercely determined and strong willed hybrid who is said to possess “the power of eden” and to be the only one capable of opening the Vault “under the city” that contains unparalleled power and knowledge. What stage of the mark the prophet needed to achieve was not specified but the prophet would need to bring together beforehand two artifacts : The specific apple of eden that possessed 3 horizontal lines on its front as well as another piece of eden simply referred to as “the staff”,with no further information on what this staff might look like or even further details.

From the book, Neri can read _“When the one who possesses the power of Eden should draw near the Vault’s door, apple and staff combined, a light emanating from the two pieces will target the door, opening it to grant the eternal power that lies behind.”_

It is said that the individual pieces of Eden pale in comparison to this tool of nearly limitless power and capable of accomplishing even greater feats.

“But what could this tool be and under what city is the vault hidden ?” Neri wondered internally

To those questions, the book offers no further details, which only frustrated Neri, as this was the end of the book. It was now about 9 pm, and after about 6 hours of reading, she had finished reading the book which was around 240 pages long, and contained full pages of only drawing that she was able to go through quickly. Dinner would be served soon and she was exhausted and deactivated her mark that she could now control at will as the mark had finished the initial stabilization process as mentioned in the book.

But these revelations had just changed everything. The world had been turned upside down and she still had no idea who had written this whole thing and also had no leads. Could she be the prophet mentioned in this book ? She had no idea how many mark-bearers there even were at this point around the world.

Knowing that the anxiety would ultimately hurt her physically and mentally, she had decided that she would ultimately tell the truth to Madeleine and Camille, the truth about everything, so that she could at least be free of those doubts, even though with the new information that she had gotten, the possible repercussions would be worse in case of a negative response, but after the time they had spent together, she still wanted to believe she would be accepted no matter what. Accepted and not feared, as in any case, if she had the mark, maybe they could have it too one day, assuming Neri had gotten it from her mother’s side..

This mysterious book about the secret history of the Isu, would later be known to history as “The Voynich Manuscript”, centuries later. “Voynich” being the last name of the man who bought it in 1912. And what Neri had not yet realized at that point in August of 1483, was that Ezio also had a mark and had awakened it shortly after arriving in Monteriggioni after the execution of his family in 1481, overwhelmed by the pain of losing his father and brothers but also because he struggled to accept that Cristina could not follow him in the adventure he had now found himself in and that the love of his life would probably have to be married to someone else.

He had slowly mastered the mark on his own, despite obviously not really understanding where it came from. So Ezio could also very well be the prophet mentioned in the book as well. The visual abilities granted by the first stage of his mark would lead Ezio to use an umbrella term to define them and he would call this collection of visual powers : “Eagle Vision”

**Author’s note : As a side note, the codex pages still exist in this version, they just have nothing to do with the vault’s prophecy but retain all other information on them. Also in this version, Ezio found the Assassin outfit due to Giovanni giving him clear instruction as unlike in the original game he would not have had his eagle vision here yet. The full story is already outlined in a very detailed manner by the way just for the sake of having a well planned coherent story, I just need to write the actual chapters in readable form and post them here.**

**What do you think of the huge reveals in this chapter ? Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter and see you in the next one! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Paris, September 1483** _

Around a week had passed since the avalanche of revelations from the Isu manuscript. It felt like Neri’s world had been turned upside down, again. Twice in just a few months.

However, she still had not revealed the truth to anyone yet. Even though she had been determined to do so, she still wanted to wait for "the right moment” to do it, but the more she waited the more her anxiety and fear kept growing.

It was still early in the morning that day of September and she had been awake for a while now when Madeleine knocked at the door of her room.

“Neri ? Neri”

“Oui Tante Madeleine I’m coming”

The young girl got off her bed and opened the door to her aunt.

“Bonjour (Good Morning) Tante Madeleine.”

Bonjour, chérie (dear)” Madeleine said with a smile entering the room and closing the door after.

“There is something I wished to discuss with you. Please take a seat on the bed.” Madeleine added

After the both of them sat down, Madeleine started

“With everything that had happened, I wanted to wait until you were in a better condition to talk about this and I believe that now might be the right moment to bring this up, but the choice is still yours.”

“What is it, Tante Madeleine ?”

“I was wondering if you would accept to take a preceptor, in order to continue your studies, around the level where you left off ? If you don’t feel like you’re ready, I understand. It’s just a proposal.”

“Oh...That. Well, yes, I think it would be a good idea. Thank you, Tante Madeleine.”

“I am glad to hear it. It’s nice to see that you are getting better by the day. If possible I’ll make sure you have your lessons alongside Camille since you're the same age as her. Everything should probably start January next year, would that be ok with you ?”

“Oui, Tante Madeleine. Merci! (Yes, Aunt Madeleine, Thank you)”

“By the way, speaking of Camille, do you remember the boy we met when we were on our way to the bookstore the other day ? Marcel, The one that was with his mother ? It seems like your cousin might have caught a feeling or two” Madeleine said, visibly amused

“Oh right, well I had noticed it immediately but didn’t say anything. I thought you hadn’t as you were discussing with his mother.”

“It’s true I didn’t immediately notice but I deduced it later from her sudden decision to stay in the carriage and her behavior after we came back. It has gotten better since, but it is amusing in a way, that’s not a side of her I see often.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Have you….hum, how to ask this...Have you ever been interested in any of the boys your age back when you were in Florence ?” Madeleine asked

“Well, a few times yes but it’s never been serious. Plus none of the boys my age have ever shown any interest in me, so…” Neri responded

I’m sure you’ll find someone nice one day, chérie (dear). I have no doubts” Madeleine said from a compassionate tone

“Yeah, I hope so.”

“Good. If there’s anything bothering you, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay ?”

“Okay”

“Good.” said Madeleine as she was about to leave the room before Neri indicated she had more to discuss

“Wait! Tante Madeleine.”

“What is it, chérie (dear)?”

“I….I haven’t been totally honest with you, Tante Madeleine. There is something I have been hiding from you ever since I arrived here”

“What do you mean, Neri ? What is it about ?” Madeleine asked, visibly confused.

Neri then raised her right palm, made her mark glow and said

“This.” and this act only helped increasing Madeleine’s confusion who started at the glowing mark for about 30s in silence before asking

“What is..what is that thing ?” Madeleine asked intrigued while coming closer to get a better look her niece’s palm

“It’s a long story but everything started in the prison. Remember when I had asked to see Marco’s body, alone ? After some time, my hand started feeling strange and it was around this time that it suddenly appeared and right after that I collapsed. I had no idea what it was at that time”

“I see. But you said you had no idea then ? Does that mean you know what it is now ?”

“Yes and strangely enough it has something to do with the strange book you bought from that bookstore, the one with the unrecognizable language”

“Oh..how so ?”

“Well, sometime after I took the book from your library, I had a nightmare and then I woke up in panic with the mark glowing, but I had left the book open on the nightstand and suddenly I could understand the language. And then the mark suddenly stopped glowing again but I remembered what was written on the first page.”

“You could suddenly understand that language ? And what did the page say ?”

“It said “The secret history of the Isu : the earth’s first civilization”. After some time, I realized that both times the mark had glowed was when I was deeply in pain so I tried to force myself to think of sad memories and then I managed to make it glow again for a long period of time and then I started reading the entire book.”

“I see, so what is this book about ?”

Neri then proceeded to tell Madeleine everything said in the book in summary : The Isu, the humans, the pieces of Eden, the catastrophe, the marks and its powers and the prophecy. She also said she did not know who could have written it

“Chérie, that is...it’s quite a lot to take in. Now this makes me even more intrigued regarding the person who could have written such a strange text. Who knows what might happen if those weapons were to fall on the wrong hands ?” said Madeleine who went back to sitting on the bed.

“And this so-called prophet, do you think he could be out there somewhere at this moment ?” Madeleine pursued

“I have no idea Tante Madeleine. I am really intrigued about that specific thing too. The prophecy in question might have already even happened years ago, I’m...I’m not really sure”

“Hmm, Maybe, and if this secret individual has met Jeanne around 54 years ago during the war, assuming this prophecy has already been realized, it must have happened recently without most of us realizing the great change that was supposed to happen according to the writer. This entire affair is quite unsettling, Neri. Everything we had been taught about our world’s origins seems quite inaccurate, not to say completely fake. I guess we should have seen this coming for events that occured so long ago.”

“I know. I am really sorry Tante Madeleine, I just….I was scared of this mark and I didn’t….well I didn’t know if you were going to react negatively and what you would do afterwards and…” Neri said, the emotion clearly audible in her voice

“ Neri, listen to me, you should not have been scared, I...I could never blame you for such a thing. I know that it is quite a revelation but, you should never be afraid to discuss your concerns with me. I’m here for you, we all are.”

“Thank you, Tante Madeleine. Thank you for everything” Neri said while giving her a hug, relieved and tearing up a little in front of the overwhelming kindness of her aunt.

“Everything will be okay, chérie.” Madeleine said while holding her

“How do you think Camille will react ?” Neri asked

“I’m sure she will understand. It’s not your fault after all, is it ? You never asked for any of this. It’s all really unfortunate”

“No, you’re right.” Neri answered

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it if you wish.”

“No, I think I should be the one to tell her.”

“Very well, but let me know if anything happens okay ?”

“Okay”

“Well then, I had almost forgotten to tell you, there is an event in a few days in a palace at Créteil, it’s right outside the city, there will be lots of arts display, food and you’ll even get to dance if you want. Would that interest you ? I was hoping we could go all three with Camille”

“Yes, that does sound interesting.”

“Good, we will have to go out tomorrow and buy you a nice dress in that case.”

“Yeah, thank you Tante Madeleine. Thank you so much”

“My pleasure, Neri. Come, it’s almost time for breakfast”

Sometime later, in the afternoon, Neri went into Camille’s room in order to reveal the truth to her and despite how Madeleine had reacted, she still felt a small amount of apprehension nonetheless.

But, things went pretty well. Camille told her she did not feel any differently about her because of that or the information revealed in the book, as surprising and strange as it was, and Neri was glad about it. Camille even displayed some form of excitement over the news and her playful nature was once again put on the forefront.

“So you’re saying that you would be able to read any language that I write on this piece of paper ?” Camille asked

“Yeah, theoretically”

“Great, maybe we should put that to the test even further. You do not understand German do you ?” Camille asked

“No, not at all, we can try that if you want” Neri told her

Camille was taught German from her mother who, as mentioned previously, spoke a large variety of languages. She then started writing the most complicated sentence she could think of and then showed it to Neri, who then started reading everything on the paper back to her in French after activating her mark.

“Whoa, it’s totally all true then. That’s quite a formidable ability.” Camille said

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m really relieved that you and Tante Madeleine didn’t react badly to these strange news. I was really worried you would”

“Why would we ? You didn’t do anything wrong” Camille said, which prompted Neri to smile.

“Thank you, Camille.” She then said.

The next day, Neri had to go out shopping with Madeleine while Camille sadly had to stay as she had to study a bit.

“I have to take Neri out for her dress regarding the upcoming event, Study hard and see you later, chérie” Madeleine said to Camille.

“Bye Maman (mom) ” Camille answered

After many hours, Madeleine and Neri had finally settled on a red dress for the evening but they also took a few spares for future events, and they went back home. And then the day of the event arrived.

Like Madeleine had indicated, It was to take place in a palace outside the city, around an hour away from the house by carriage. Madeleine and the girls were accompanied by Frédéric once again.

The palace in question looked splendid and fit such a night. With impressive decorations, flute players, a diverse group of meals and drinks, and an interesting variety of painting among other elements. Neri didn’t really know any of the attendants but simply by how they dressed and how they behaved, she could tell they were relatively important figures and some of them had already started dancing in the main hall.

Madeleine and the girls were admiring some of the arts on display, while Frédéric was on the opposite side, taking a look at the meals. A few minutes later, they were approached by Marcel, Camille’s “crush” who was at the event with his mother and he invited Camille to dance. It would be an understatement to say that the young girl was flustered but she was encouraged by Madeleine to go along with him, much to the amusement of Neri who was quite happy for her cousin. Eloise, Marcel’s mother, was to keep an eye on the two dancing youngsters.

A few minutes later, Neri and her aunt would be approached again, but this time by someone they hadn’t previously met. It was a man, seemingly in his 30s who though dressed like a noble, had a different style compared to most of the other people present, and soon enough, the reason would become apparent.

“Bonjour, Madame (Hello Madam)” The man said in an italian accent that Neri and her aunt immediately recognized

“Bonjour Monsieur (Hello Sir)” Madeleine answered

“I am Battista Fregoso, please to meet you.” while respectfully bowing

“I am pleased to meet you as well. This is my niece.” Madeleine said while looking at Neri who then greeted the man as well

“So, what brings you all the way to Paris, Monsieur ? I do detect a bit of Genoese accent in your French” Madeleine asked him

“You are correct Madame. My family is indeed from Genoa and I had made trips to France in the past, though this time, my presence at the city has special circumstances behind it.”

“Oh ? And why is that ?”

“Well, you see Madame, I am actually the former Doge of Genoa, but I was recently deposed, by my own uncle in a revolt. A happy family you might say. As a result, I was forced into exile, which is why I am here”

This particularly caught Neri’s attention. Political plots and popular revolts only put bad memories back in her head.

“I see, that is...unfortunate. Do you think you would be able to return to Genoa one day ?” Madeleine asked him

“I am sadly not sure, but I certainly hope so.”

The two then continued discussing other topics, while Neri was imagining in her heads what this coup might have looked like.

Later in the evening, after the man had left and she went with Madeleine to choose some meals, she could see Camille in the small distance talking with Marcel. The two seemed to be giggling and she was visually much more relaxed than before. She exchanged a smile with Neri before going back to her discussion.

“Looks like Camille is back to her usual self, Tante Madeleine” Neri said to her aunt with a smile.

“Ah! I can see that indeed, she’ll have to tell us all about it when we get back”

“Right!” Neri said back

Some time later, something odd had happened. Neri closed her fist to block the light of her mark and activated her “eagle vision” just out of curiosity. She noticed that even from the palace, she could still locate and subsequently track the Isu book back in her room at the house and also a few other objects she had been in contact with a lot. However, this distance seemed out of the limit range of the usual one described in the book, so she deduced that tracking normal objects from a far away distance that she had been in contact with for a long time, must be one of those secondary unique abilities mentioned in the book. She didn’t know it yet, but that ability would prove quite useful in the future.

They all had really enjoyed themselves at the event, Madeleine even bought a few paintings and when they went back home, Camille did indeed update her mother and cousin on Marcel. She did mention that he was quite a great dancer for his age, that he did everything to put her more at ease when he noticed how uncomfortable she was at first. Camille herself was surprised at how quickly she managed to open up but she greatly enjoyed those moments. Both Madeleine and Neri were obviously quite glad to hear this and Madeleine was thinking of arranging a grand picnic with Marcel and his mother.

A few days later, while Madeleine and Camille were out shopping, Neri had decided to go outside and pick some flowers with Madeleine’s maid Sophie, in a park not too far from the house. For some reason, she had taken the book with her in a small bag and she was wearing gloves that matched the color of the dress she was wearing..

“Come on Sophie! I want to surprise them with a few flowers before they get back.” Neri told her

“Yes, Nerissa, Just a moment.”

Neri and Sophie then walked a few minutes to the park, looked around a bit and started picking white tulips, around 12 in total.  
“There! I am sure that will be enough.” Neri said

“They look quite nice, Madame and Camille would have to take great care of them” Sophie said while looking at the flower basket.

But then Neri picked two out of the basket and gave them to Sophie.

“I was actually picking some for you as well. Thank you for helping me recover and everything else you have done since I have arrived.”

“Oh, Nerissa, That’s too kind! You really shouldn’t have!”

“Please, Sophie accept it, I really mean it. We can also give the rest to the other members of the household staff”

“Thank you, Nerissa.” Sophie said before hugging her

“Well then, should we head back home now ?” Sophie added

“Yes, we should go.” Neri answered

As they were on their way back, Neri got a bit distracted by some of the buildings on the street and at one point she was walking quite a bit ahead of Sophie. It’s as if she could barely focus on anything else, she did not even hear Sophie calling out her name. At one point, a carriage that had one of its wheels broken was spiralling out of control and in her direction, as the horses were no longer responding to the driver. Sophie tried to run and cried out her name. When Neri saw the carriage coming right in front of her, she was almost paralyzed by fear and could not move.

Luckily, a young man that was nearby managed to push her out of the way right in time before she got hit, and both of them fell on the ground, a few centimeters away from each other, the carriage crashed back first against a wall with the horses suffering injury and the driver jumping away at the last moment and Sophie had a huge sigh of relief and she ran towards Neri.

“Oh mon Dieu, Neri you could have died. Madeleine would have killed me. Thank you so much for your help sir” She said

“Do not worry Madame.” He answered

“Are you alright, Mademoiselle ?” The man asked ?

“Argh… Yes I’m alright, thank you so much sir, you saved my life.” Neri answered while the man and Sophie helped her getting back up

The man had dark hair, looked quite tall and well built, relatively young, around 19 or 20 years of age. Interestingly enough, he also happened to have an Italian accent in French, though Neri could not exactly pinpoint the region  
“That’s great to hear.” He said in response.

As he was about to turn back, Neri said “Wait!, You’re...you’re not from around here, are you, sir ?”

“Hm, no, I actually started my journey to Paris from Naples.”

“Oh, I see, did you come visit someone ?” Neri asked

“Not really. I actually came here for a reason the both of you might find strange. A book that belonged to me was lost in Naples sometime ago and after some research, I was told that a shopkeeper who travels a few times a year from Naples to Paris was the last person said to possess it, so I was actually on my way there.”

Naples ? The book ? the shopkeeper ? Wait, could it be what Neri was thinking about ?

“Oh, and what exactly is the book about, maybe we can help ?” Neri asked

“Well that’s funny : I have no idea. My great uncle wrote it some time ago, in a strange language that no one I know seems to understand and he never really explained to anyone what it was about either, not to me or my father. But that is to be expected in a way. My great uncle wasn’t always himself sometimes, he would start talking of strange things and even of great prophecies that would change the world one day. Especially since his eyes had two different colours, one orange and one green, listening to him talking about these things while he was looking at you firmly was quite an experience. But my father and I got attached to the book as it would remind us of my great uncle, that is way I would like to have it back”

There was no doubt, the man was talking about the Isu Book. Luckily, Neri had it in her possession.

“Uhm….I think I might have what you are looking for. My aunt bought the book from a shopkeeper in the city. Is it this one ? ” Neri asked while pulling out the book

“It is indeed, what a coincidence!”

“You’re welcome, that’s the least I can do for you after saving me.” Neri was genuinely grateful to the young man for saving her and also because he had come such a long way to find his book. Due to the vital amount of info the book contained, she also knew that should she need to locate it in the future for any purpose, her secondary ability would allow her to track it even if it is outside of France.

“Thank you so much Mademoiselle, The name is Luigi. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to head back to Naples as soon as possible. Au revoir (Bye)”

“Au revoir Monsieur, Thanks again.” Sophie said to the man

“Well what a coincidence indeed.” Sophie added

“Yeah, an incredible coincidence.” Neri said as she looked at the man disappearing in the distance.

As Neri and Sophie were on their way back, Neri started regretting not asking the man’s last name, as she had hoped to learn more about this great uncle of his, who was apparently the writer of this book. But who could this great uncle be, really ? And what was up with him having eyes of different colors ? The way Luigi was talking about him, it’s as if he had been dead for some time.

However, for a strange reason, Neri felt in her gut that this would not be the last time she would see Luigi.

**Author’s note : Please leave a review if you enjoyed it. Next chapter will come out around early december :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Paris, September 1483** _

Neri and Sophie were on their way back home after that "interesting" encounter. Neri was obviously grateful that Luigi had managed to save her life and yet she felt slightly uneasy about him and the things he had told her. It appeared as if he had said too much and too little at once. Such a descriptive and revealing talk about his great-uncle and yet she also felt like he hadn't truly revealed everything he knew about the Isu manuscript/book.

What even is Luigi's last name ? Does he belong to a very important family back in Naples ? He did look dressed like a noble so that possibility can't be dismissed. Does he possess a mark too ? He was wearing gloves just like her, so who knows ? But having a mark would imply he was lying about not knowing what the book was about, wouldn't it ? Or maybe she was simply being a little too paranoid ? She wasn't really sure, but in a strange way, as mentioned previously, she believed that the two of them would meet again one day, but under what circumstances exactly ? Only time would tell.

Then, Neri noticed something odd. She looked at Sophie and noticed that she was blushing and smirking slightly.

"What's wrong Sophie ? You're getting a bit red"

"What ? Oh, nothing, it's just well…"

"What is it ?" Neri asked with a slight smile

"Well, that man we just met, he seems very courageous, and he was quite handsome too. He didn't even hesitate to save you. With reflexes like his and his height, I would almost assume he has some sort of soldier or combat background."

"Hmm, a soldier, uh ?"

"Yeah, him being from Naples with what i've heard about the history of that place, it would not surprise me at all."

"I see."

"In any case, I'm glad he did what he did, I am terrified just thinking of what would have happened if he wasn't there."

It deserves to be mentioned Sophie was quite young herself, only 19 years of age, so getting a bit flustered in that manner would not be that surprising.

Neri remembers quite well that the writer of the book, Luigi's great uncle (the uncle of Luigi's father) if he is indeed telling the truth, was in France in around 1429. She recalls from her history lessons that the Kingdom of Naples was ruled by the Angevin Dynasty (a French dynasty) at the time, so the idea that one of Luigi's older relatives might have ties, links or interest in France would not be so far fetched at all and it seemed like a plausible theory in her head.

When they got back home, Madeleine and Camille had already returned. Sophie had immediately tried to explain what had happened with Neri's little accident and promptly apologized.

"I am so sorry Madame, I have been negligent, I promise this will never happen again, please forgive me!." She said while bowing her head.

"It's alright, do not worry. She is safe, that's the most important. Let's hope you keep a better eye on her next time, okay ?" Madeleine said

"Of course, Madame, I will."

"And you too Neri, you should be more careful"

"Oui (Yes), tante Madeleine."

After explaining why they even went out. Neri then offered the flowers to everyone in the house. Neri's aunt and cousin were quite delighted with Neri's gift and the rest of the members of the staff were also truly humbled by the kind act.

"Aww, that's so nice of you, Neri" Camille said upon receiving her flowers in her usual playful tone while giving Neri a hug

"That's really kind, chérie (dear)" Madeleine told her before giving her a kiss on the forehead

She had also given details on Luigi to Madeleine and Camille and his reasons for even being in the French capital. And just like Sophie, they were as grateful to Luigi as they were astonished by the coincidence regarding his presence in Paris. But in the end, neither of them thought much of it and were simply glad that she was safe and nothing horrible had happened and soon after they went on to have their lunch.

Some time later in the afternoon, Neri was in bed getting a nap. Since the nightmare that caused her mark to activate, her nights had gotten relatively peaceful. Her trauma did not exactly go away but she had managed to control herself a bit better. But the anger and pain generated by her tragedy were still very much present within her. As mentioned before, she was still hoping to one day return to Florence and avenge her family though she hadn't talked about this to anyone yet…..

_Neri suddenly found herself in a strange village in the middle of nowhere. It seemed like the place was under attack by mercenary forces and any of the houses were set on fire by the assaillants. It was a carnage, the attackers ruthlessly massacred many of the inhabitants, limbs were cut off, heads were violently removed and eyes were pierced, a shocking view. Neri could barely see the faces of the men attacking the village, they almost had an inhuman feel to them. Why was this settlement targeted ? She had no clue._

_She was inside a house, and strangely enough she was with her mother, father and little brother. It felt real. Mentally she wanted to question why they were alive, but for some reason, she couldn't. All four of them were hidden inside that house that unsurprisingly looked nothing like the one she remembered back in Florence._

_Marco, her little brother, was anxious and her parents were trying to reassure him while speaking slowly and telling him not to speak too loudly as to not attract attention. The situation was quite tense. However, a few minutes later, a loud noise was heard outside that made Neri scream uite loudly before she put her hand over her mouth and looked at her family with eyes that betrayed the guilt she immediately felt._

_Unfortunately, this was noticed by some of the invaders, who then promptly broke inside and targeted the four of them. Her father Daniele tried to resist but was immediately cut down with an axe, his head rolling to the ground, just as Neri had seen before, which caused her to scream in almost the exact same way. And in an instant, her mother and brother had her throats sliced, in an instant she was the only one left yet again. Yet again she was completely helpless, could not fight back and was completely at the mercy of her attackers._

_She did try to scream again but this time, no sound was coming out. One of the mercenaries grabbed her blonde hair and said something she could not hear as she was strangely no longer able to hear any sound. After that, one of the men was about to strike her down with his axe when she suddenly woke up._

She woke up in panic, and almost out of breath, with her mark once again glowing.

"A dream…..it was….it was just a bad dream." She said while breathing heavily.

After some time, with the slight level of control she had gotten over it, she had managed to stop the mark from glowing. She hadn't felt so terrified for a while but the experience brought her back to darker times.

She had not experienced such helplessness since the events of April and she started to feel almost angry at her herself for feeling this way and she got out of bed and went downstairs to the living room. It was around 5:00 pm, Camille had also told her she would be resting in her room so she did not want to bother her now and Madeleine told her she would be quite busy for the day but that she could still come to her if something was wrong. But Neri just wanted to be outside of her room and yet by herself just for a bit, to reflect on her recent dream.

So she went there, sat somewhere and started thinking. She hated feeling this : scared, helpless, even useless maybe ? For that last point at least in her eyes that's how she felt. But what could she do at her age and in her situation ? She wants to one day return to Italy in order to get revenge for Marco, Raphaelle and Daniele, but how would she do it ? Where would she get those skills ?

She kept pondering over this question, and then she looked over the window and saw something that picked her interest.

She barely noticed it when she came downstairs, but from the living room, through the window, she could see Frédéric, Madeleine's butler and bodyguard, practicing sword combat with another one of the guards she had seen before when she arrived in Paris, so she got closer to the window in order to see the action better.

It seemed more like Frédéric was instructing the other man. He appeared to have a certain assurance in the exercise and seemed quite skilled at it, not surprising as he was Madeleine's bodyguard after all and Neri was fascinated by the action, the movements, the footwork and sword clashes.

"How come I never thought of it before ? Maybe I should ask Frédéric to teach me how to wield a sword and train me in combat ?" She wondered internally. And yes, it probably should have been obvious from the start. It looked like a perfect opportunity to learn how to defend herself. But would Madeleine be okay with such a decision ? After all, she remained unaware of Neri's desire for vengeance.

Frédéric and the other man did not seem to notice Neri watching them. And after a few more minutes of observation, the young ran upstairs back to her room. Back in bed, she reflected more on the idea and was thinking of an appropriate way to bring it up to Madeleine but it would take a bit of time. After some time, Camille knocked on her door and came in.

"Is everything alright, Camille ?"

"Yeah, I thought I'll come by and discuss a bit." Camille said as she was sitting on the bed

"Oh, what did you want to talk about ?"

"Well I had almost forgotten to bring it up, but Maman (mom) told me you and I would be having the same preceptor and get our classes together next year."

"Yeah, that's right, I think it's a great idea. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Yeah I'm sure it'll be great." Camille said with a smile

But she could sense something wasn't exactly right with her cousin.

"Are you okay, Neri ?"

"Uh ? Hum ...well yeah. I just had a bad dream while I was taking a nap. Don't worry about it, okay ?." Neri said while trying to reassure Camille

"Oh, I hope everything's alright now. "

"Yeah."

"Umm, tell me Camille, how do you see your life in the future ?" Neri continued

"Oh that's a loaded question isn't it ?" Camille said with a smile before continuing

"Well I am not sure, since I am an only child I guess I will have to one day take over and manage Maman's business alongside whoever I end up marrying. If possible I would like to stay in this house even if I get married. It's big enough so it's possible, plus I wouldn't want to leave Maman too soon, she has been through a lot, with everything that happened."

"That's true, I understand. I am sure you wouldn't mind if Marcel happened to be that future husband right ?" Neri teased

"Uh ? I mean...why not, we should probably get to know each other a bit better but…" Camille said while blushing slightly and fumbling over her words

It was a bittersweet feeling for Neri. She was glad that her cousin had at least a positive outlook on her future even though nothing is really certain. But at least Camille seemed to have a bit of an idea about it : Working alongside her mother to one day succeed her at the head of the family business, staying in this house close to her mother even after she gets married, having a happy and loving marriage with a good man, most likely children as well.

However, Neri saw her future differently. One day maybe, she would probably have the chance to have a peaceful life, technically she could if she wanted to, but she can't. It almost feels like a duty to her, to go back to Florence and avenge her family. She would love to simply live her in Paris in comfort, with Madeleine and Camille for the rest of her existence and try to leave the past behind but it would be too hard for her. She does see herself coming back to Paris and fully settling down but only after her mission is accomplished.

"Neri ? Neri ? Are you listening ?"

"Uh ? Oh sorry, I kind of got drowned in my thoughts." And she definitely wasn't lying when she said that

"Are you sure you're okay ? I was asking you what you would like to do in the future ? Do you have any ideas ?"

Now that's the question she wished she wouldn't have to answer right now but it would have to wait just a bit.

"Hum, yeah, in a way but I'm not ready to say yet. But I promise, you and Tante Madeleine will know soon enough."

"Alright then, I understand, I'm sure you probably have your reasons. Fancy a chess match before dinner ?" Camille asked with a smile

"Sure, that'll be fun." Neri said before following Camille into her room.

And then the next day, in the afternoon, Neri decided to reveal her intentions to her aunt and invited her to talk to her room.

"You wanted to see me, chérie (dear) ?" Madeleine asked while sitting down.

"Yes, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it ?"

"Well...I was wondering if Frédéric could teach me how to defend myself. Preferably train me at using a sword."

"Using a sword ? But why would you…."

And then Madeleine suddenly stopped herself before finishing her question. Her facial expression changed and she just took a look at her niece for several seconds in silence and strangely enough it's as if she immediately understood where this was going, as if she could read Neri's mind.

"Neri, don't tell me you want to…"

"Tante Madeleine, I really want to be able to defend herself. My mental and physical state have gotten a lot better as you have probably seen but, that fear that I felt, it hasn't fully gone away, I even had a nightmare recently that re-ignited those sentiments. I just….I never want to feel helpless like that again."

As Madeleine was still silent, Neri continued.

"And after several years of training, when I'm eighteen or nineteen, I wish to go back to Italy and get revenge on the people who killed Maman, Papa and Marco."

Upon hearing this, Madeleine gasped.

"Get revenge ? Neri please, you're just a child, you should not be thinking about such things. You should know better than anyone how I feel about what happened. And I still suffer from it too, every day that passes, maybe not as much as you do, but I am also still in pain, I wish I could see them again too, I wish I could have my sister back but ..."

Madeleine dropped a tear before continuing

"Listen chérie (dear), I am responsible for you, I understand you, more than you can imagine, but I do not wish for you to get hurt."

"You know, Tante Madeleine, there was a boy back in Florence. While we weren't particularly close, the few times we interacted, he always left a good impression. He felt kind, caring and always ready to help others. Once, he saved me when I fell in the Arno river.. I wouldn't say I had feelings for him but I did have a lot of admiration for the guy. And then, out of nowhere, his brothers and his father were accused of treason by the city and then executed. I later learned that he killed the gonfaloniere of the city, probably out of revenge, as I don't believe the accusations against his family, but after that he disappeared and I didn't hear about him, until….until that day. When we were arrested and then put in prison, one of them responsible told us that while he did not harm Maman, Papa or Marco or conspire against us, he was still actively helping Lorenzo de' Medici, he was...still siding with such a cruel man. I can understand why he would want revenge, but I am not sure why he would openly side with and help a man like Lorenzo. That is also something I wish to find out, Tante Madeleine."

"I see...but Neri, I have told you, I understand you but I did all I could to get you out of there, so that you could have a good life. I am really happy to have you here with us, Camille is as well obviously but even more than you suspect, she is glad to have someone her age to talk to and play with. Whatever happens, we should never forget about that tragedy and the loss of the people we love, but sometimes, it's also important to be able to move forward. You can stay here, with us, and we can all try to live happily together. The house is large enough. Don't go, please ..."

Madeleine then started tearing up, she embraced her niece and she pursued

"Don't go, I'm begging you. if something were to happen to you, knowing I could have prevented it, I would not be able to live with myself afterwards. You'll be so far away, in so much danger. I can't immediately rush there if something goes wrong. What if you get hurt or get ill ? You're going to die there….all alone ? Who knows, when I might die too ? I could suddenly catch an disease and..." Madeleine asked as she started sobbing, still embracing Neri who had also started to get emotional

At this point, her aunt was full-on crying and Neri did what she could to comfort her.

"I am really sorry to put you through this, Tante Madeleine, I wish I could simply let it go and live the rest of my life here alongside you and Camille, it's probably what Maman would have wanted, to live my life in peace and be happy for the rest of it, but I can not let it go. These men did horrible things to people we love. They killed Marco. They've brought disgrace upon mother and father. You do remember what she was accused of before she was executed right ? I...I can not let that pass"

Madeleine still crying, responded

"Neri, I am as furious as you are about that, But, these are powerful individuals, do you really think it would just be the end of it ? or that their allies may not try to retaliate and get back at you too ? Getting involved in this may also drag you into things you would have a tough time getting yourself out of. This could create a dangerous cycle. And if you keep getting revenge on these men, it may change you forever, you may never be the same again.I don't want to lose you, I don't want to see you become another, darker person. Please try to understand my position"

Neri responded

"If I go back there, years from now, if something happens, you should not feel responsible. I haven't even been here for a year, but you have taken great care of me and I truly feel loved around you but if I wasn't allowed to return, I don't think I would ever fully be at peace and that way, I think I would be denying you and Camille the best version of myself. While we still have fun together even now, I think it would be even better after my job is done. Once I am done, I promise I'll come back, and we'll all be together again, for good this time. Plus, it would be several years until I go anyway, wouldn't it ? I'll make sure I never change, I will be careful"

"Neri, I….please give me some time to think."

"Oui (Yes), Tante Madeleine."

After this, Madeleine gave her a sad look, gave her a kiss on the forehead and then left the room.

Neri felt awful for making her aunt cry but she knew that she had to be honest with her about her intentions. She had to tell her truth. Now, she was just hoping she would accept. And then she would to hope that Camille would take it well too, all of it was quite messy

Eventually, 3 days later, Neri was called into Madeleine's office to talk one on one once again. Her aunt hadn't talked about it with Camille yet.

"Bonjour chérie (hello dear), sit down please." Madeleine said

"I have had some time to think about what we discussed the other day. I still do not think it is a good idea, but you went through something no child, or even adult should ever go through and I do not want you to end up resenting me, if I force you to stay here against your will. So I will let Frédéric train you, starting early next year. "

Madeleine then took Neri's hands and told her

"But promise me, you'll be careful, you won't become another person, you will regularly send us letters and you'll come back to us when everything is over, okay ?."

Neri then responded by hugging her aunt tight

"Merci (Thank you), Tante Madeleine. I'm so sorry for hurting you"

"It's alright. I hope I won't regret this, chérie."

_**Paris, January 1484** _

The new year was here. Neri had also revealed the truth to Camille about her intentions. While her cousin was visibly disappointed as she did enjoy her presence, she told herself that Neri would only be gone for a few months or maybe a few years at most and that they still had many years left together before being separated so that they should get the most of it, and Neri agreed but still apologized again for causing that much pain to her and Madeleine.

It was a Monday morning and Neri had just recently woken up, she would have her first history class alongside Camille soon and her first sword lessons the next day. She started thinking about Luigi again, the mysterious young man who had saved her months ago.

Then she got an idea : Why not use her mark to try and track the book that he had taken with him and see where it could be at this moment ? Enough time had passed that he should probably have gotten home a while ago at this point.

With that in mind, she activated her mark, closed her eyes and started to focus intensely. After around a minute, she was able to locate the general area where the book was currently at. It looked like it was in southern Italy at the moment, around where Naples is located. The closer she gets to said area, the clearer the exact location would become.

So it seemed like Luigi was telling the truth after all, at least when it comes to Naples. But once again, Neri could just feel like something was wrong, that something felt out of place. Maybe, once back in Italy, she would pay him a visit right before coming back to her aunt and cousin's side. She also had to get rid of her uncertainty towards him as well she thought.

Then, Camille knocked on the door and entered.

"Neri! We need to get ready, our preceptor will be here soon, we have history today."

"You're right. What event are we going to be taught about today again ?"

"It's about some weird organization called the Knights Templars."

**Author's note : Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it. What do you think about Madeleine's reaction to Neri's intentions ? Is Luigi a future ally or a future antagonist ? Who is he really ? Training begins in the next chapter! And it comes out around late December/Early January :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Note : I didn't realize, I had "moderate guest reviews" activated, it's been changed, sorry about that. I encourage everyone to leave a review in case they enjoy the story. Thanks!**

**Also here's a rough situation of some of the key characters' ages, might be useful for the readers later**

Nerissa born on April 10th 1472

Ezio born on June 24th 1468

Claudia on August 25th 1469

Camille on June 5th 1472

Madeleine on August 4th 1452

Raphaelle (Neri's mother) on March 24th 1450

Daniele (Neri's dad) on August 26th 1445

Marco (Neri's brother) on January 20th 1479

Frédéric on September 1st 1452

Sophie on February 2nd 1464

_**Paris, January 1484** _

"So, as we are about to begin our history lecture on the Order of the Knight templars, can any of you tell me what you already know about the organization ?" Father Eric asked

Neri then raised her hand

"Yes Nerissa ?"

"Hum, I have heard of it before, yes and read a few things about them. If I remember correctly, it was a religious and military order that was officially recognized by the Pope in around 1129 in the city of Troyes.

However due to many circumstances, it was dissolved in 1312 and King Philip IV of France had a lot to do with their downfall but according to a book I read and many of them were arrested and some were burned at the stake, a few people seem to believe that the order never really ceased to exist and still somewhat secretly operates, it was said that the rumors regarding their supposed survival were quite strong even 80 years after the order's official disappearance."

"Wow, you didn't tell me you already knew so much, that's great!" Camille said in response

"That is indeed correct, you're already quite knowledgeable on the topic and that is good to see" Father Eric said in turn

Father Eric was a man in his late 50s with grey hair, quite tall wearing a completely black outfit and he had been instructing Camille for several years now.

Eric then pursued

"It is true that many suspect that the Templars as an organization have managed to survive the official downfall of the order. There were even whispers of a strange treasure of immeasurable wealth they might have left behind. But before we get into those aspects, let's first go back to the beginning and discuss the organization's origins, its creators and its original purposes and how these knights have evolved throughout the years."

Father Eric proceeded to do exactly that. Presenting key figures in the order's creation such as Hughes de Payns or Bernard de Clairvaux, the order's military role in the crusades in the middle east, their participation in the so called "reconquista" on the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), their involvement in the process of "letters of credit" in which pilgrims could deposit their money with the Templars in Europe, who would then deliver said letter to the pilgrim who could then travel to the middle east and withdraw the equivalent sum with Templars already installed in the region of destination. The Templars over time became quite rich and extremely influential

And then their fall and disgrace was discussed. In the late 13th century, the order began to decline due in part to the developments in the middle east and years later in 1312, after a complex series of event, it was disbanded by the Pope and in 1314, Jacques de Molay, their leader was burned at a stake and interestingly enough, he is said to have cursed King Philip IV and his descendants before he died.

Despite her existing knowledge, Neri still learned some new things during this lesson such as the Templar's actions in Spain and Camille was extremely captivated by the tale of this mysterious order and at the end of the lecture, she felt like she HAD to ask the following to Father Eric.

"Father Eric, do you personally think the rumors about the supposed survival of the order are baseless ? Or are they plausible ?"

"Well Camille that is an interesting question. Regardless of the rumors, I do think it is highly unlikely that the order of the knights templar has somehow perdured in secret all these years, and even if they have, times have changed since, and so would the templars' purpose if the organization has secretly survived, so it might very well have evolved into an almost unrecognizable form anyway, so who really knows ? But oh well, that will be all for today girls, I will see you next time"

And with these words, Father Eric took his leave.

"That's by the far the most interesting tales I have heard in these history classes, it was pretty intriguing don't you think Neri ?" Camille asked her cousin

"Yeah it was, the templars' story almost reeks of fantasy if you ask me. Strange to think that they really existed."

"Yeah. Do you believe the rumors about their survival though ?"

"I don't know, I think I share Father Eric's opinion, if they had managed to remain as an organization, they would probably look a little too different anyway. But if they did survive, what would even be their purpose today? What could they be after ?" Neri asked

"I don't know, but it is interesting to speculate, they seem terrifying and fascinating at the same time, like you said their story seems quite larger than life, especially about their ability with the sword. Speaking of which, your training starts tomorrow right ?"

"Hum...Yeah, I am a bit nervous, but I'm determined, I am the one who wanted this anyway."

"I am sure you'll be fine Neri. You know, I probably couldn't really hide that I was a bit disappointed when you told me about your plans, but I get it. It's going to be extremely dangerous, so I hope it won't take too long, that nothing bad happens and that you will eventually come back to us in one piece."

"I know it was a bit selfish of me, but thanks for your support."

"You're welcome. I'll go to Maman's (Mom's) office for a few minutes, we'll catch up later okay ?"

"Oh right, I'll see you later then."

While Neri was going back to her room, she was thinking a bit about her plans for revenge and how it would actually go. While she knew that after sufficient training and stealth skills, she could discreetly target Alphonso and Cornelio as in the grand scheme of things they were not that important on a political level, whereas Lorenzo de Medici himself would be a very different affair as he was still the de facto ruler of Florence and would probably remain so until he somehow dies of natural causes before Neri gets to him.

But she also has to be extra careful, as it was an assassination attempt on Lorenzo that caused the unfortunate succession of events that Neri remembers far to well. A great deal of stealth would then have to be needed for such an operation as failure and renewed desire for retribution by the Medici could potentially endanger some of the innocent Pazzi who remained in Italy. Madeleine and Camille though, would be untouchable in Paris as even Lorenzo's influence did not extend to France not to mention that Neri's aunt had friends in high places anyway.

And all of those elements were discussed with Madeleine in the past weeks, who while as said previously, did not explicitly condone the murder of these 3 men as she thought it would be too risky for her niece, but still also deep down she also wanted revenge against the men responsible for taking away her older sister that she loved so much.

Neri also thought that she should come up with a code for the letters that she will sent to and receive from Paris and so she had decided to settle with a code based on the Isu language used on the first civilization manuscript that she no longer has but has retained memory of the "letters" and other characters used in it. So by replacing one letter of the alphabet with one of those unseen and complicated characters, there is little chance that some unintended recipient might understand what is written on it, as the Isu language is impossible to decipher by humans, unless they, like Neri, happen to possess the mark and transmit their knowledge on to others. Since Neri wouldn't leave until she was 18 or 19, Camille and Madeleine would have enough time to master the code with practice.

Out of curiosity, she also decided to check once again the location of the Isu Book that the mysterious Luigi had reclaimed some time ago. After closing her eyes, activating her mark and concentrating, she could sense that its location was the same as the last time she had checked : In Southern Italy around Naples, which reassured her a bit.

And then, the day of the training came. Madeleine had bought specific clothes for Neri, including in anticipation for this : several pairs of blue baggy pants and 5 tops of various colours. Neri had styled her hair into a long ponytail and she would also wear a white bandana with long tails. As the training would start in the winter, Madeleine also added specific heavier clothes too, so that Neri wouldn't have to use her regular non-training ones.

It was the afternoon, at around 2 pm. After "suiting up", Neri made her way to the backyard where Frédéric was waiting for her. She was extremely nervous but did her best not to make it too obvious on her face. Madeleine and Camille wanted to watch the training but ultimately decided against it, as they thought that it might distract Neri and make her a bit fearful of failure.

"Bonjour (Good Morning) Nerissa, are you feeling well ? Ready to begin ?" Frédéric asked upon seeing her

"Bonjour Frédéric, Yes I am ready." She replied

"Good. Don't be afraid, I'll do my best to ensure things go well."

"Yes, thank you."

Frédéric was a man of average height, with brown hair and around Madeleine's age (31) and he had been serving her since around the time Camille was born.

"Nerissa, since you're a beginner, I thought it would be better for us to start with wooden swords before moving on to real ones."

"Yes, that's a good idea."

"Very well, take this, I'll show you how the appropriate posture to have while swinging a sword" Frédéric said while handing her the wooden sword and taking his own in order to begin the demonstration.

Frédéric took his stance and Neri was watching his movements attentively and trying to memorize the coordination between his arms and legs and how they all worked together to achieve the intended result. After about 15 minutes of display and Neri watching him, Frédéric then got back into position and invited Neri to also take her stance and to this time follow closely after each one of his movements in order to try and repeat them accurately.

"Now Nerissa, repeat after me" he said

"Yes sir!" The young girl answered enthusiastically

However, after several minutes and several attempts to replicate even some of Frédéric's basic moves, Neri had a really hard time and her arms tired quickly. She was incredibly frustrated but Frédéric tried to put her at ease.

"Don't worry Nerissa, it's only your first day. Let's take a break and then I'll show you the basics of defence before we call it a day."

"Yes, sir" Neri said, this time in a monotone voice, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

After around 18 minutes of break, Neri and Frédéric were back at it, this time, for the basic elements of defense with a sword. But here again, it was a bit of a disaster, Neri could not follow properly and when Frédéric try to land soft imaginary blows in order to teach how to dodge she fell down due to poor feet movement and also due to fear, she did even worse than in the first exercise about offense. But Frédéric here again tried to assure her.

"It's alright Nerissa, that'll be enough for today, I understand it's always a bit difficult the first time, I'll see what I can do for the next session. Maybe I need to change my methods of teaching." He said while helping her get up

"No Frédéric, it's not your fault, you should not blame yourself for this." She said with a sad look on her face

"Try and get some rest, I'm sure it will get better over time"

Neri then left and went to her room and jumped straight to bed without first taking a bath. Her morale was that low as she felt utterly embarrassed by her performance today and even started having second thoughts. She knew that she should not expect to be amazing immediately on her first day but still, this was worse than she had hoped and then she heard a knock on her door.

"Neri ? Can I come in ?"

It was Madeleine and Neri nonchalantly walked to open the door and let her in

"Hey, so how did it go ? I haven't talked to Frédéric yet, I wanted you to be the first to tell me." Madeleine

After a few seconds, Neri said : "It went horribly" before closing the door and going back to sitting on her bed.

"What ?" Madeleine asked

"It went horribly. Frédéric did his best but I only managed to embarrass myself during the session, it was awful."

Madeleine sighed, sat next to Neri on the bed and then responded with : "Chérie (Dear), It was only your first time, you have ample room to improve, you will be training for years to come, you said so yourself."

"That's also what Frédéric said. But I'm not sure. I was the one to beg you to let me train...I wanted this but...maybe I was wrong ? Maybe it was just a little girl's fantasy ? I felt determined at first but now it feels like my motivation has plummeted, maybe I should just put all of it behind me."

"Neri listen….You already know how I felt about all of this when you told me. If you wish to stop that would be fine by me but whatever your choice is, you should think about it harder before making a definitive call. I do not want you to grow up and be filled with regrets and resentment, I have said so before. So let your head cool for a moment, you have a lot of time to think about it, okay ?"

"Okay." She answered after some hesitation

"Good then, I'll see you in a bit for Dinner, bye."

"Bye Tante Madeleine."

After having much more time to think, Neri knew that Madeleine was right, giving up or carrying on should require a bit more reflexion, so Neri decided to at least continue the training until the summer to see if she was truly making reasonable progress.

So over the next few months Neri decided to apply herself further and give all she had towards her training. It was unsurprisingly quite hard to get back into it. She tried to deal with her fears the same way she managed to fully stabilize her mark : by confronting them directly. In her room she would sometimes try to voluntarily reminisce about some of the painful moments of her life, the ones in which she felt afraid and she would try to "meditate" based on that. This obviously wasn't going to make the pain go away, no, that was impossible, but she felt that she needed to do this in order to better challenge her own fears and doubt

She was training 3 times a week. Each training session would now be equally divided into three specific sections : strict offense, strict defense and counter (as in a combination of offense and defense that includes several movements requiring rapid execution), with a break in between each part. This was done so that each type of skill could be kept at a relatively equal level if possible so that there isn't too much imbalance between the 3, as this could be fatal against a well rounded enemy. Slowly but surely, Neri managed to get a better balance when it came to her movements with the sword whether it came to attacking or defending and they eventually moved on from wooden swords to using real ones. On top of that, Frédéric had been leaving specific notes for Neri in a journal about certain techniques and fighting styles that could be useful for her growth. And thus, things got slowly better and better for Neri.

_**Paris, May 29th 1484** _

Summer was here and it was around the end of yet another training session.

"Ah !" Neri shouted after swinging her sword forward. This was the last of a careful combination of moves she had been instructed to master by Frédéric. She was sweating heavily and was pretty exhausted.

"Very well, that should be enough for today, you should go get some rest. You have progressed a lot, that is good to see."

" Merci (Thank You) Frédéeric…..but... I...still have….. a lot to learn." She said almost out of breath

"Of course, we'll get there in time." He said with a smile.

After that, Neri sat down for a few minutes to catch her breath and then left and as she was about to enter her room, she met Camille in the hallway.

"Hey! Finished for today I see ? You look totally exhausted" She asked Neri

"Yeah we're done, I'm getting used to this. The memories of my first sessions seem far away now."

"I am glad to hear that."

"Thanks Camille, by the way, your Birthday is coming pretty soon isn't it ?" Neri asked

" Yes it is ! It's funny actually. The new king will be crowned tomorrow at the Cathedral of Reims and then a few days later, there will be a parade in Paris itself and that happens on the same day as my birthday. Maman (Mom) said we would have a picnic in the park after watching the parade"

"A Picnic ? That sounds exciting. And about the parade, that's a funny new king uh ? His name's Charles right ? So then he'll be….Charles VIII If I'm not mistaken ? and If I remember correctly he is around our age give or take a few years."

"Yeah he is still too young to effectively rule, it's been said that his older sister will be regent until he comes of age."

"Yeah that makes sense."

"Anyway, I can't wait. I'll let you take your bath and rest a bit and I'll see you later, okay ?"

"Okay, Bye Camille! "

_**Paris, June 5th 1484** _

Eventually, the day of the post-coronation parade in the capital, which also happened to be Camille's birthday, arrived. It was June the 5th. Neri, Camille and Madeleine were accompanied by Frédéric while Sophie stayed behind with the rest of the household staff. They had brought food and other things for the picnic and then left them in their carriage guarded by their "driver".

The crowd was obviously massive for the occasion, the sun was shining and the bells were ringing. Neri, Madeleine, Camille and Frédéric were waiting among the crowd for the arrival of the young king. When 14 year old King Charles VIII arrived in his open carriage, the people were cheering "Vive le Roi !" (Long Live the King) and others like Neri and her family were simply clapping. Charles wasn't alone in the carriage, he was alongside a woman, seemingly in her 20s and another young man that looked similar in age.

"Tante Madeleine, is that young woman the regent ?" Neri asked.

"Yes she is. Anne de Beaujeu, eldest daughter of the previous King, Louis XI. And the young man next to the King is Louis de la Tremoille, I have met them before. Louis will probably be a leading military commander like his late father."

"I see, the regent seems very confident though, it's probably not an easy task."

"You're right about that, but she is determined, I am sure she will do a great job."

As the carriage was advancing and Neri was losing sight of it, she started feeling like she had eyes on her. She turned to her left, and noticed a boy around her age (11-12 years old) that had apparently been staring at her for some time. As soon as she turned, he looked away, but she had enough time to notice that he was blushing heavily, which also caught the attention of Madeleine who was amused by it, but she said nothing and engaged in deep discussion with Camille and Frédéric instead.

Neri was still looking at the boy for a few seconds but wasn't sure what to say. He was with a woman that could potentially be his mother

"Hum…." Neri uttered

"I'm….I'm really sorry about that, I should not have been staring at you in that manner." The boy then said, sounding a bit shy and still blushing a bit

The woman with him then said "My apologies for that Mademoiselle."

"No, it's alright, don't worry about it." Neri answered with a smile, trying to put him at ease

"Hum..My name is Pierre Terrail, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I am Marie, The maid of the young lord's (Pierre) household. We are to rejoin with his parents in a few."

"I understand, My name is Nerissa, nice to meet you as well. Young Lord, you said, Madame ?"

"Yes Mademoiselle, Pierre is the son of the Lord of Bayard."

"Oh, I have heard of that place before. The Chateau Bayard is apparently very impressive" Neri said

"It really is, Mademoiselle." Marie answered

"Hum...we came all the way from southern France just for the occasion. My father is to meet with some people at court in a few days, notably, Monsieur de la Trémoille, the young man that was next to the King on the carriage ."

"Oh I see, that sounds interesting." Neri responded

"The King seems like an interesting fellow. It's….I sometime see myself wearing armor, fighting alongside a King of France, defending the nation's borders from its enemies, distinguishing myself in battle and win against the odds, not that I wish for war just for the sake of it...far from it, but….the choice isn't always in our hands, so we must be always be prepared to fight no matter what. Many of my family members died fighting in the Hundred Years war against the English long ago. I always train and work hard but….sometimes I feel like I won't be good enough."

"I'm really sorry about your family. I understand, but sometimes, you just have to face your fears right on. Much easier said than done but, it's either that or giving up."

"You're probably right, I'll just have to try harder."

"And more efficiently." Neri added with a bright smile which made Pierre blush again to the extent that he had to look away a bit, all of that made Marie smirk a bit

"Sorry" Pierre said again upon looking back at her

"It's okay, Pierre" Neri responded

"Well Mademoiselle, it's time for us to go. Pleasure to have met you"

"I understand, I feel the same, au revoir (goodbye) Madame, au revoir (goodbye) Pierre."

"Au...Au revoir Nerissa" Pierre shyly responded as he left. Neri watched him and Marie leave.

Hours later, Neri and company had made it into the park where they would sit down and enjoy their meals.

"You've made a cute little friend today, haven't you Chérie (Dear) ?" Madeleine asked Neri, with a huge smile

"Uhhh….no it's not like that, Tante Madeleine."

" I know, I'm just teasing you. He was adorable though, wasn't he ?"

"Well, He did blush a bit, so there's that." Neri said

" Haha, you're saying that so casually." Madeleine laughingly answered

"I noticed it too, Maman (Mom), but I didn't say anything. I mean you immediately started a conversation with me and Frédéric so…." Camille added

"Yes, It did happen relatively quickly" Said Frédéric with a smile

"Anyway, Can we change the topic ? Let's enjoy the food." Neri said after a few seconds of silence

"Yeah, Great Idea !" Camille said enthusiastically

Young Pierre Terrail would later go on to be a significant figure in French History. He and Nerissa would meet again years later, under vastly different circumstances….

 **Author's note** : **So, History class, Training, update on the book, Parade and everything. What do you think of it ? What do you think of Pierre and what role do you think he is going to play in the future ? Please leave a comment if you enjoy it, and I'll see you in the next one!**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Naples, June 5th 1484_ **

In the southern italian city, a man and a woman, husband and wife, were having a discussion in a secret location.

“It has been a few weeks but this is still quite difficult to stomach. Your father, Grandfather, elder brother, uncle, cousin and now your nephew, all dead within 4 years. Only you and your younger brother are left for the succession as things stand, should anything happen…..” The woman started

“Are we cursed ? Is this some kind of otherworldly punishment ?” The man asked

“I would like to believe that we are not, others outside of the family also took a hit due to the spread of this illness. The only thing I know now is that we must have an heir as soon as possible. As things stand, even with your younger brother as a spare, we are still in a precarious position.”

“I agree with you on that. This could seriously challenge our internal position if we do not resolve this issue. Some may even already be plotting to take advantage of this.”

“There is no doubt, we can not allow this to destroy all of the work that has been done so far by your ancestors years prior.”

“That's for certain. Besides, do not forget about the other vital role that we have to play, we will always have to keep that in mind in our attempt to solve this crisis. Let’s hope things will be in our favour for the foreseeable future.”

Then, shortly after this, another man entered the room.

“What is it ?” The woman immediately asked the person who had entered.

“My apologies signora, but your guest has arrived.” 

“Ah, he is finally here, let us go then.” The man said to his wife who gave a nod of approval before they both left the room.

**_Paris, June 5th 1484_ **

Back to the picnic with Neri and company….

“And I’m full !, thanks Maman (mom), this was delicious. Sophie did a great job too!” Camille loudly said after she was done eating

“Yeah, this was great Tante (Aunt) Madeleine”

“You’re welcome.” Madeleine responded, smiling and then she turned to Frédéric

“Frédéric, Neri has been progressing well hasn’t she ?” She asked

“She has, indeed Madame, I am certain she will make a fine fighter one day.”

“Well, I’m really happy that your efforts are starting to bear fruit Neri.” Madeleine said putting her hand on her niece’s shoulder

“Yeah it feels great to feel like i’m making important progression” 

“Congratulations, cousine chérie (Dear cousin)” Camille said with a smirk that Neri returned

“Ahhh, it’s almost been a perfect day, but I’m really getting tired.” Camille added while stretching her arms

“It probably would have been more perfect if Marcel wasn’t away from the city right Camille ?” Neri said sarcastically

“Uh ? Well… what does...what does that have to do with anything ?” Camille uttered, nervously smiling, not having expected Neri to bring that up

“Nothing, you can’t expect me not to tease you back after what you said earlier, can you ?” Neri said winking

“Hmm! Well, that’s fair I guess.” Camille answered pretending to pout a bit before quickly breaking into a smile again

“Speaking of Marcel, chérie (dear), I have a surprise for you.” Madeleine said, facing Camille

“Hum….you do ?” Camille asked

Madeleine then looked at Frédéric who then proceeded to open a small box that was on the ground. It was left in the carriage when they were looking at the royal parade but he had brought it along when they decided to sit down to eat.

“Here, Marcel left you a gift and a letter in advance as he had to abruptly be away from the city with his mother on May 25th as you know. Since they would not be back in time, he decided to give you these” Frédéric said while handing over the items to Camille

“Oh...I was wondering what was inside that box.” She said blushing slightly

“I wanted to wait until we were done eating to tell you, otherwise you might have been too excited to finish your meal, haha” Madeleine said laughing

Neri was also smirking heavily towards her cousin who avoided her gaze.

Marcel had given her a very nice looking blue hand-fan with pink flowers motifs on it.

“Aww, this fan looks so cute.” Camille let out and she then proceeded to read his letter that said the following

_“Joyeux Anniversaire (Happy Birthday) Camille. I’m sad we had to be away from Paris at this time but I really hope you’re having a great day. I think this fan would look really great with the dress you were wearing at the event last year so I hope you like it. Don’t forget to tell me how the royal parade was when we get back, I really hate that I had to miss that too. Take care. Marcel.”_

After reading, Camille was still looking at the letter, smiling, hand on the chest.

“So, when’s the wedding Tante (Aunt) Madeleine ?” Neri asked after looking at her cousin, without even needing to know what was said on the letter, which only caused Madeleine to laugh again and Frédéric to smirk slightly

“Well well, aren’t you awfully sarcastic today ?” Camille launched back at Neri, amused by her comment

“Guess I am, haha.”

“I am glad you're enjoying your gift chérie (dear).” Madeleine said to Camille, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

After around 45 more minutes spent discussing a variety of other topics, Neri and company got up, went to their carriage, left and made it back home. Most of them were exhausted, so they all went to their respective rooms in order to get some rest. The following weeks went by mostly as expected. Neri kept up with her training, she kept taking her classes alongside Camille, they would play chess together very regularly and have all sorts of discussions in the middle of the game, sometimes they would go out at certain events accompanied by Madeleine and Frédéric and so forth. Then, Marcel eventually came back. Once he returned to Paris, he and his mother visited the house a few times. However, one day in particular was notable as something quite interesting had occurred, it happened during a visit by Marcel, accompanied by the maid of his house (Julie) while Madeleine and his mother Eloise went out together to an event they were invited to. It was around 4 months after Camille’s Birthday

**_Paris, October 15th 1484_ **

Madeleine and Eloise had been away for around 2 hours at this point (Marcel’s mother came with him and the maid and then almost immediately left with Madeleine). Marcel and Camille went into a room in order to paint various stuff together as they discussed a variety of things ,while Julie (Eloise’s maid who was accompanying Marcel) decided to help Sophie out in the kitchen in order to “help pass the time” according to her, after leaving Camille and Marcel alone.

“Wow, you’re really good, yours look even better than Neri’s paintings. She’s still way better than me but still, you’re on a completely different level, it’s amazing.” Camille told Marcel

“Thanks Cam, I have always had a bit of a passion for it, nothing too serious, but it definitely is a good hobby.” He answered, to which Camille chuckled a bit. This was followed by the two of them looking at each other deeply in the eyes with a huge smile on their respective faces for around 30 seconds without uttering a word before they both started laughing.

“Speaking of which, where is your cousin ? I didn’t see her today ? She’s not sick is she ?” Marcel then asked

“Oh, no no she’s alright, she’s having her sword practice at the moment in the backyard.”

“Uh ? Sword practice ? What for ?”

“(Sigh), Well, you know what happened to her parents and brother right ? She has been through things no one should have to experience, she had nightmares about it, so one day she decided to get trained at how to fight, so that she may be able to defend herself in the future. She’s been going at it since January now”

“Oh I see, that’s admirable. From what you’ve told me, she understandably took a bit of time to open up once she arrived here. I’m glad you and your mother were there to help her.”

“Yeah, it’s been great, I have always wanted a sibling, it’s really nice to have her here with us and to grow up with someone you’re close to in age. We spent many nights either in my room or in hers, talking about every possible subject before we were too tired to continue haha.”

“Yeah I can see that. By the way, have you ever thought about taking combat lessons yourself ?” Marcel asked

“Hmmm I don’t know, maybe in the future I guess ? But it’s not really in my plans for now.”

“I see, well, in any way you don’t have to worry, when we’re older I’ll always be there to protect you. I have been taking sword lessons too, since December, I thought it could be useful for the future.”

Camille blushed a bit upon hearing this “Oh, you have uh ? That’s great to know, I hope I can come over to see your practice some day”

“Yeah sure, actually, since Nerissa is still practicing and we have begun our lessons at around the same time, I’d like to spar with her. I've been wanting to test my skills against someone other than my instructor.”

“Oh, hum, sure if that’s okay with Julie I guess, you should ask her first.”

“Yes, let’s go.” Marcel said before taking her hand and going to the kitchen.

Julie gave her approval but still decided to go with him to watch the sparring match, Sophie followed them as well out of curiosity and then the four of them made their way to the backyard. Neri’s skills kept growing by the day, she had been training intensely for 10 months now and while she was obviously still far from being an expert, she had progressed even further and the early failures of her first sessions seemed like a far-away memory.

“Hey! Sorry to interrupt, I was wondering if me and Neri could spar a bit after you’re done. With the wooden swords I mean. I have been taking lessons too and would love to see how I would fare.” 

“Uh…” Neri uttered while looking at Frédéric. She was completely taken by surprise and didn’t know what to say at first.

“Sure! That’s a great idea actually, it would be interesting to see this match-up, don’t you think Neri ? I’ll be watching to make sure no one gets seriously hurt.” Frédéric said in return

“Hum, yeah let’s do it then, let me just take a 15 minute break and we’ll start.” Neri said

“Great !” Marcel said, almost a bit too excited.

15 minutes later, Neri and Marcel grabbed their wooden swords and got into position and everyone else present (Sophie, Julie, Camille and Frédéric) was watching with great attention.

"I hope you don't hold back. Give everything you have." Marcel said to her as they were about to begin.

"Alright. I hope you do the same." She answered

Though he had never seen what Neri was actually capable of, Marcel was supremely confident in his skills, perhaps too much and therefore he was confident in his victory. However things would not necessarily go as planned.

Marcel made the first move and launched a series of relatively disorganized blows that Neri was able to counter quite easily, without breaking a sweat. Despite the fact that the previous sequence didn’t work, he tried the exact same thing and Neri blocked everything again but she had still stayed on the defensive and hadn't really attacked so far.

Once she did attack and went forward to land a blow, Marcel could not react and was thus quite easily disarmed, his wooden sword falling to the ground with a single hit.

“Okay you win this round, you’re….you’re much better than I expected.” Marcel said, shocked and the nervousness in his voice apparent

“Well you did say not to hold back.” Neri answered before exchanging a look with Frédéric whose approval of her performance was easily readable on his face.

Marcel also exchanged a look with Camille who simply smiled at him

So Marcel went to pick up his sword for the next round. Unfortunately, this one did not go much better. This time he tried a lateral blow with his wooden sword but Neri would easily block it again, skillfully maneuver him and entangle their swords downwards and then suddenly upwards, sending his sword flying slightly, thus disarming him, even worse for him, she managed to catch his own sword before it touched the ground. Despite all of this, Neri had a relatively neutral expression on her face, whereas Marcel, slowly coming to the realization that he may be totally outclassed in this fight, despite having been training around as long she had been, and was getting visibly unsettled by the situation.

Noticing he was looking a bit upset, Julie asked him “Are you alright Marcel ? You don’t have to continue if-”

“I’m fine, Julie, really do not worry about it” He answered, even more nervous and barely even looking at her while answering.

Camille too was looking a bit concerned but did not say a word. Whereas Frédéric and Sophie seemed amazed by Neri’s performance.

Without exchanging a single word, Neri handed him his word so that they could begin the next round. She knew that Marcel was tense, it was obvious from his demeanor and from the look on his face, but she wasn’t sure what to say to him at the time, especially with four other people watching, especially Camille. 

For the next round though, things managed to get even worse for Marcel and he, nor anyone else present could have predicted what was just about to happen.

Marcel tried to attack several times but Neri managed to easily dodge every single one of his moves, this time without needing her sword to make contact with Marcel’s. Truth be told, Nerissa herself was surprised at the ease to which she was able to dominate this sparring contest. While she unsurprisingly did not expect her match with Marcel to be as hard as her training under Frédéric, which was still extremely demanding despite the tremendous amount of progress that she had made since January, she had expected this encounter to be a lot more evenly matched at the beginning.

Nevertheless, at this point there was no doubt, Marcel, at this point in time, was no match for her and was completely out of his league. As mentioned before, this third round had managed to be even worse than the others due to an unfortunate “accident”.

After Neri had evaded Marcel’s attack for the nth time, he was visibly frustrated and tried one last attack which caused him to fall to the ground as he lost balance after Neri had evaded his final move. He wasn’t injured in any serious way but then, IT happened. 

His eyes were closed but as he was about to get up and open his eyes, Neri had simply gotten into a specific battle stance and moved her feet and wooden sword forward slightly, with the same neutral expression on her face, indicating that she was ready to continue as Marcel’s fall didn’t look serious at all. Neri still didn’t know what to say to him. However, for some reason, Neri slightly moving forward as she did when was about to get up, caused Marcel to use his arms to cover his face seemingly in fear of her attacking him, while her posture was mostly defensive despite her moving advancing slightly. But the worst was yet to come. Due to this sudden fear, he had noticed another strange sensation within his body but by the time he had tried to prevent it it was too late. It all happened quite fast. Within a few seconds of Marcel covering his face, he had effectively started wetting himself. It seems that on top of being humiliated by Neri during practice, Marcel had also managed to piss himself, in fear in front of everyone at the same time. This was clearly adding insult to injury and Marcel was visibly extremely embarrassed by the situation. 

Neri as well as the others watching could not believe what they had just witnessed but they did not all have the same reaction. Sophie could not contain herself and chuckled slightly before almost immediately verbally apologizing. However, Neri did not exactly find the situation amusing and this time she felt like she had to say something regardless and try to advance towards Marcel in order to help him but before she could utter a word, Julie intervened followed by Camille and Frédéric and Neri was left frozen and speechless.

“Oh mon Dieu ! (Oh my God), Are you okay ?” Julie screamed before she and Frédéric helped Marcel get up. Marcel’s face looked like that of someone who wishes they could disappear and hide somewhere for hours, away from the eyes of others.

“I am afraid we’re going to have to end this here, I am really sorry for the trouble Madame.” Frédéric said to Julie

“No worries Monsieur (sir), I’ll have to take him home immediately so that he can get changed. Our carriage is still here and his mother let us know that we could return home in case of an emergency if she wasn’t back with Madame Madeleine by then. In which case, his mother would use one of your carriages instead to return home after stopping here.”

“Understandable Madame.”

Camille had tried to talk to him but without much success

“Marcel, are you-”

“Yes….I’m fine Cam, I just need a break…..I’ll….I’ll see you another time.” Marcel said, almost choking up, his tone betraying the sincerity of his words at the time. He felt completely mortified, embarrassed and humiliated by the whole affair and now wishes he could have avoided the confrontation entirely.

Frédéric then proceeded to accompany them towards their carriage and Sophie who felt bad and out of place for having initially laughed simply retreated back to the kitchen, regretting what she had done. Neri was still virtually paralyzed in the same place and had looked at the whole scene without saying anything and now when they left and Camille turned her attention to her, she looked to the ground, scared that she might get angry at her. But Camille walked to her and when she got closer Neri looked up a bit, and then Camille put a hand on her shoulder, which caused Neri to fully look her in the eyes, they were the only ones left in the backyard at the moment.

“Camille, I-”

“It’s alright Neri, I understand.” 

Camille then continued “He is the one who wanted to test his skills, and he also told you not to hold back. I guess he just underestimated you. What happened…..it’s unfortunate but it’s not your fault. Had I known this would happen, I would have dissuaded him from trying to challenge you, at least not with everyone watching.”

“Thank you, I’m still really sorry this happened. I...wasn’t sure what to do or say except right before you and the others intervened at the end. I was going to help him then but you and others went before I could say a thing. But before that, when it became clear as to where this was going, I...thought about ending the whole thing but I was scared that he was going to feel insulted if I tried to end the match completely. I hope this won’t ruin what you have going on with him, I’d really hate it if that were the case.”

“It’s okay, please don’t feel bad Neri. I understand your position.”

“Thank you so much.” Neri said while hugging her

Later during the day, Madeleine and Eloise were informed of what happened and Madeleine immediately apologized to her for the incident. Eloise, however understanding the situation, did not blame Neri at all and quickly returned to her home to comfort her son. Sophie had profusely apologized for laughing at Marcel and Camille forgave her as well. And at the dinner table, Madeleine, Camille and Neri were discussing the topic and Madeleine gave an interesting bit of opinion.

“Camille, It might be tough but don’t be angry at Marcel. He may not have been very nice to you right before he left but he is a 12 year old boy, you’re all so young. I suspect he may have been sparring with Neri in front of you in order to impress you but it simply didn’t work out the way he wanted. I knew a boy like that too when I was younger too. At this age, it should be no big deal for something like this, there’s still time for him to learn that he made a mistake.” Madeleine said

“Impress me ?” Camille asked and then she remembered something

“Impress me….Yeah. Before he went to the backyard to practice, he told me that once we are older he would always be there to protect me.”

“He did uh ? Well that proves it beyond the shadow of a doubt then. He wanted to impress you but failed but now he thinks that you may not like him as much because of that. Although he might be a bit misguided, that shows how highly he thinks of you but he is scared that you will see him differently now.” Madeleine responded

“But that’s nonsense, I don’t think less of him because of that. We all fail at something. He may have been slightly overconfident but still…”

“I understand chérie. We should just give him some time, I’m sure he’ll come around.”

**_Paris, May 1st 1485_ **

Several months had passed since the incident with Marcel and now we were in a new year. Marcel eventually apologized to Camille and their interactions returned to normal. Marcel still had a bit of trouble talking to Neri as he was still a bit embarrassed and shy in front of her though he did not really resent her at all and understood that he had his own part of responsibility in this failure. So it’s not like they ignored each other, but his interactions with Neri were still a bit awkward. She did try to put him at ease but it would take a bit more time for things to return to normal on that front.

As obvious as it sounds, it still deserves to be mentioned that at this stage, despite Neri’s growth during her training, she would still be no match for someone like Ezio. At this point in 1485, she would lose against Ezio almost as badly as Marcel lost against her. She had made good progress, but he was still light years in front of her. She would one day, eventually reach his level, as they would fight in the ruins of Monteriggioni in the future as previously mentioned, but that confrontation is still far away at this time. All of that said, in the 5th month of this year, Madeleine made a pretty unexpected announcement to Neri and Camille.

“Constantinople !? But why ?” 

“It’s for business related reasons, Neri. We’ll only be there from around early June to late September so we’ll be back in Paris in early October. There’s a good opportunity to make contacts and new deals that may not present itself for a while. Plus I thought, you two might enjoy a breath of fresh air, no ?”

“So we get to spend the summer in Constantinople, Maman (mom) ? I’m game !, what about you, Neri ?” 

“Well, I didn’t expect it but let’s hope it’ll be fun.” Neri said.

“Great! We’re leaving in 10 days, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. So you should start packing your bags and getting ready. Frédéric is also coming with us by the way, so Neri will get to keep up with her training. Sophie will be taking care of everything alongside the rest of the staff while we’re gone. Also I probably don’t need to tell you this, Camille but let Marcel know that we’re leaving as soon as you can.”

“Ok, Maman (mom).” She answered

**Author’s note : Alright that should be enough for now. Poor Marcel, Neri really kicked his ass. But at least something positive came out of it. And who could our mysterious couple at the beginning be :p ? Next chapter : Constantinople and an unexpected but decisive encounter. See you then.**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Toulon, Southern France, May 1485_ **

Neri, Camille, Madeleine and Frédéric were in the southern French city of Toulon. They would be embarking for their destination very soon and they were waiting in line. Madeleine’s family business is mainly focused on trade of various spices but is open to all varieties of items in high demand. And as previously indicated, there was an opportunity for Madeleine to meet all sorts of individuals who might be interested in the things she was selling and vice versa, she had gotten the word from one of her acquaintances.

“Now that I think about it, weren’t we taught about the Fall of Constantinople in great detail some weeks ago in one of our history lessons ? It was barely 30 years ago, it’s going to be interesting to see the place with our own eyes.” Neri said to Camille

“Yeah I know, since we’ll be staying for a few months I hope the place will be worth it, otherwise, the days would probably feel ten times longer than usual. I know you have your training and we brought the chess game, some stuff to paint and a few other things but it’s very possible this might not be enough. ” Her cousin answered

“Yeah for sure. Safe to say that it won’t look or feel anything like Paris so we’ll see what it has to offer.”

“Well, I guess I better start memorizing some stuff in Turkish before we arrive. Maman (Mom) is already fluent in the language, as you know languages are one of her specialities. Also gotta think about something nice to bring back to Marcel as a gift.” Camille then said

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Neri answered

“Are you feeling alright Frédéric ? Girls ? We won’t have to wait much longer.” Madeleine turned to tell the group who all responded “yes” to her statement.

Then the time for the departure arrived and all four of them embarked on their ship.

**_Mediterranean Sea, a few days later_ **

They had been at sea for a few days now. It was around 10 pm and Neri couldn’t sleep. She was sharing a reasonably sized cabin with Madeleine and Camille who were, unlike her. deeply asleep at this point while Frédéric obviously had a different cabin on the ship. Outside of the crew, there were around 25 people travelling to various destinations, some including Constantinople like Neri and company.

Unable to find sleep, Neri got up and decided to walk around for a bit. She picked up her key and locked behind her. Madeleine and Cam had other duplicates of the keys inside in case anyone of them would have liked to go outside without inconveniencing the other 2. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t much people on the main deck, besides the crew, just a couple sitting down somewhere holding hands and another figure that was contemplating the sea at the edge of the ship The figure looked familiar from behind in the relative dark and when Neri came closer, within a few seconds, she recognized the individual : it was Frédéric, so she decided to go talk to him a bit to pass the time.

“Hey Frédéric! What are you doing here?” She asked

“I could ask you the same question Nerissa.” He said with a smile

“Well, I can’t really sleep so I thought I’d walk around a bit and go back to bed.”

“Ah, well that’s not too different from me then. I was thinking a bit about my past lately for some reason and it has had a bit of an impact on my mind these past few days.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I...I know it feels I suppose. One’s past impeding on peaceful nights I mean.”

“Yes, I have no doubts, but thankfully you have been doing a lot better on that front since you arrived in Paris, based on what you told me before. What is troubling you know ?”

“I don’t really know. This time, It’s got nothing to do with the horrible stuff that happened. I just can’t sleep.” Neri said

“I see, sometimes it can happen without a specific reason too.”

“Yeah I guess so.”

Neri then pursued “Hum, I have just realized Frédéric, You have never told me much about your past between our training sessions. If...you do not wish to discuss it, I totally understand.”

“Well, now that you mention it…..What would you like to know exactly ?”

“How did you start working for Tante (Aunt) Madeleine ? How did it all begin ?”

“Hmm. It actually started with your Aunt’s late husband actually. Camille’s father.”

“Oh, oncle (uncle) Damien, uh ? I see, how did you two meet him and Tante Madeleine.”

“We’ll have to go back a bit further in time first in order to explain some key things. I grew up in an orphanage. When I was old enough, I was told that my parents had died when I was barely a few months old. The orphanage lady was very caring with all of the children there and she felt like a mother to all of us. However, one day, when I was around 14, the orphanage building was caught in a fire, many of the kids survived, some did not, sadly the orphanage lady, Madame Marmont, was among the victims. She couldn’t make it.”

Frédéric pursued “After that, I was on my own and did what I could in order to survive, refining certain skills for example which allowed me to do certain temporary jobs so that I could support myself, but living like this was never easy. A few years later, I was walking on the street, completely absorbed in my thoughts and was hit in the head from behind by a group of bandits before I even got the time to react, as my guard was lowered. I was then left unconscious on the street, for a while in the cold winter. I woke up much later, In a place I didn’t recognize and I realized upon waking up that I had been robbed of all of the money I was carrying, which I guess I should have seen coming. 

My head was still hurting a bit and was bandaged, and as soon as I tried to move from the bed, I saw a young woman of around 19 years old, my age at the time then, telling me not to worry, that her husband had found me on the street and that they both had taken care of me. That was when I met Madeleine. She was extremely caring and then offered me something to eat and some time later, Camille’s father Damien, entered the room to introduce himself. They had been recently married and I was quite amazed by their generosity but did not want to overstay my welcome at the time. As it was extremely cold outside and I didn’t have any money on me, they put some food and money in a bag and gave it to me.. After all of that and once I was ready to move, I thanked them and left, promising to repay the money back to them, even though they insisted it wasn’t necessary.

It wasn’t an easy task at all but I worked hard and eventually managed to ship the money back to them. However, months after our first encounter, I was falling on much harder times and they met me on the street by chance and asked me how I was doing and Madeleine was now visibly pregnant. I proceeded to tell them about my situation and that’s when Damien proposed that I come and work for them, as I had a variety of skills that could be useful to their household. I accepted and was extremely grateful for the offer.

This was an unexpected opportunity and they have always treated me very well, so I was greatly personally affected when illness claimed Damien’s life. I could go into further details but that’s basically it.”

“Wow, that’s….incredible but sad at the same time. I am really sorry Frédéric.”

“Don’t worry, I do stumble mentally from time to time but I have mostly learned to cope.”

"Hum...Have you….ever thought of getting married at one point ? Having a family ?”

“Ha, no not really, as strange as it may sound. I don’t think my head is in the right place for such a thing”

“I see.”

“You should go back to bed now Nerissa, try to get some rest. I hope my stories won’t depress you too much.” He said with a humorous tone

“I was actually planning on going back, I wasn’t going to stay too long. Thanks for the talk Fredéric!”

“Bonne nuit (Good night).” He answered as she left.

**_Constantinople, June 1485_ **

And then they arrived. On that scorching hot day of early June, on the ship, they could see the city from a distance, it was a magnificent sight.

“Well here we are. I hope everyone enjoys our stay here. If everything goes well, we’re supposed to take the ship to return to France exactly on September 20th.” Madeleine announced to the others.

“That seems so very far away, Maman (Mom)” Camille said

“Sigh*, I know chérie (dear), I know but that’s surprisingly the best date I could get on a reliable ship.”

“Okay Maman.”

When they finally got off the ship, they were greeted by a man named Aslan who was instructed to guide the group by one of Madeleine’s business contacts that she had been exchanging letters with back in Paris. Aslan was accompanied by a few other guys who were to help with the luggages and guide the group to the place where Neri and company were supposed to live during their stay. Due to trade with Venice, Aslan was also fluent in the Italian dialects, so that was what he was mainly using with Madeleine, that was convenient as Camille understood it as well, and Neri obviously did, though Frédéric sadly did not and Neri translated for him, which he very much appreciated. 

On the way to their apartment, they came across the Galata Tower, which interestingly enough was built by settlers from Genoa in Italy. After some time, they eventually arrived at their destination. Aslan would be living somewhere right in front of their house for the duration of the trip in case Madeleine needs anything. There was food already prepared and the place was already well supplied on that level, which pleased everyone. So after putting all the luggage in their respective place, he left the group in order to allow them to rest a bit..

“Ah! I’m starving. Can we start eating now, Maman (mom) ? This place looks really nice.” Camille exclaimed

“Yeah I’m really hungry too, Tante Madeleine.” Neri added

“I share the feeling Madame.” Frédéric then added as well

“Haha, well in that case, please get comfortable everyone!” Madeleine responded

**_A few days later_ **

“Frédéric ? I am about to go with Aslan to meet my business contacts, it’s gonna be a long day, so look after the girls okay ?”

“Oh…..very well Madame.”

“You’re looking a bit worried Frédéric ? Don’t worry it’ll be fine, they’ll take great care of me, plus I’ll take everyone out tomorrow to walk around the city a bit, it will be a lot of fun I hope. It will be Camille's 13th birthday after all.” Madeleine said to him with a bright smile before pursuing

"I wish Jean and André could have come too as bodyguards but since this place is already expensive for the four of us, it might have made things a little difficult since we're staying for a while. Don't worry, you'll have more than enough time to protect me while we're here." She said, chuckling at him and with her eyes fixing him.

Frédéric, visibly embarrassed by her answer and teasing tone, responded : "Uh…Hum....very well Madame, please be careful."

"I will. On the days you'll be with me, I'll find an arrangement with Aslan and his group to look after Neri and Camille if they do not wish to go where I'm going. It's gonna be okay. Alright, I've got to get going now, bye!"

Neri and Camille were still sleeping when she left and when they woke up, Frédéric explained the situation to them. The girls were still a bit tired, so after getting up in order to eat, they spent the day mostly in bed talking about all sorts of little things. Neri also took the opportunity to use her mark to check once again the location of the Isu book and it was still at the same location in Naples. Besides that, they were very much looking forward to tomorrow.

After a relatively productive and lucrative day during which Madeleine was able to sell and acquire valuable merchandise and make new business contacts, she returned home quite exhausted and over dinner they discussed her day and then she brought up something curious.

"......So yeah, the day went even better than I expected though we came across someone very insistent." Madeleine said.

"Insistent you say ?" Neri asked, intrigued

"Yeah, it was a strange man. He said he was some sort of representative for a powerful Venetian merchant named Emilio Barbarigo, and he tried very hard to convince me and the others in my group to buy his merchandise or see if his boss was selling anything we could be interested in."

She sighed before continuing "I have heard of this Barbarigo fellow before, he is indeed one of the richest men in Venice and comes from one of the most powerful families of the region. However I have heard several reports from varied sources regarding his extreme cruelty and shady practices. Emilio seems to constantly treat many of his workers like dirt. The people who work hard everyday to support you and stand by you and who give you valuable advice ? I couldn't imagine myself ever treating my employees like that. He is definitely not someone I am interested in dealing with."

"Well said Maman (Mom) !" Camille responded

"Thanks chérie (dear), tomorrow's gonna be a long day, I hope everyone's ready for it."

"Never celebrated my birthday on foreign soil before, it's going to feel weird." Camille said

"Yeah had the trip been planned earlier in the year we would have had both of birthdays celebrations here. I hope it goes as well as it did last year." Neri remarked

"Yeah, how cool would that be ?. But Maman’s birthday is in August, so we still have that too" Camille responded

The following day, Madeleine bought a few things for Camille for the celebration and then they walked around town for a while, notably visiting the Hagia Sophia, a splendid landmark and one of the if not the most famous monuments in Constantinople. They had a carriage at their disposal to move around as they couldn’t necessarily make all of these distances on foot. Then some time later, just like last last year, they found a quiet and nice place to eat while discussing their day so far. All of them seemed to really enjoy the city so far, though the heat and atmosphere was sometimes getting a bit difficult to deal with. The food, virtue of being foreign for Neri took a bit of time to get used to but she slowly got to appreciate it after each bite. 

After they were done eating, they made a stop at a place called the Grand Bazaar, a massive market in the city that Madeleine went to the previous day, and in which various items could be acquired. It was still large enough that Madeleine had barely got to see what the place had to offer. And the Bazaar would be where Neri would make an interesting encounter. Having marking encounters on Camille’s birthday was dangerously starting to feel like a habit for Neri at this point.

“This necklace looks great! Can we take two Maman ? For me and Marcel ?” Camille asked

“Of course chérie (dear). Neri ?, Frédéric ? See anything you’d like ?”

“This scarf looks nice too, I’ll take it, Thanks Tante Madeleine” Neri indicated

“I’ll be alright for now, Thank you Madame.” Frédéric responded

“Very well.” Madeleine said before paying for the items and putting them in bags. However as they were about to leave, a man suddenly grabbed Madeleine’s bag and immediately started running away. The four of them were caught completely by surprise and barely had the time to make a move. Frédéric who was carrying bags as well, instinctively dropped them and tried running after the thief but then something unexpected happened. Before Frédéric could catch up to him, a figure dressed mostly in black and wearing a hood, who had been paying attention to the events, started running towards the thief as well and was much quicker than Frédéric. Through an impressive series of acrobatic moves, the hooded individual dodged every single obstacle, climbed on top of the selling establishments in Bazaar and pursued from above before jumping on the thief and finally catching him and knocking him out with one punch, it all happened very quickly and everyone present witnessed it. The figure then took the bag and moved towards Madeleine in order to hand it back to her. Then some guards arrived and seized the thief. Frédéric was disappointed he couldn’t react in time but was glad it was over and he returned to Madeleine as well and picked up the bags once again.

_“I believe that’s yours.”_ The hooded person said in Turkish while returning the bag. It was a young woman, seemingly of east asian descent, in her early 20s, who then proceeded to remove said hood, revealing her mid length hair.

_“Thank you so much, that was very impressive.”_ Madeleine answered in Turkish as well.

After looking at Madeleine’s clothes and reflecting on her accent for a few seconds, the woman started speaking in French “Not a problem. Are you from France by chance ?” to which Madeleine responded also in French “Yes, I am, how did you guess ?”

“I am a merchant, the type of clothing you’re wearing seems popular in your country based on my previous dealings, plus I noticed your accent as well, I have dealt with Parisian merchants in the past, that’s also why I know your language.”

“Oh you are a merchant as well ? I...could have never guessed. I am one too, I am here temporarily, to find new opportunities for my business to grow.”

“I see, well my building based-shop, which is also where I live, is not too far from here, I may have some things that might interest you there, you can come with me to my shop if you’re interested.”

“Sure, I think it would be fine, are you alright with that everyone ?.” Madeleine asked the others who nodded in agreement.

“Oh by the way, I’m Madeleine, this is Frédéric, Camille and Nerissa and your name is ?”

“Hay Lin, I’m from Ming or China if you prefer and I’ve been living here in Constantinople for sometime now.”

Neri was watching the conversation, completely in awe of Hay Lin as she had realized something. She had been trained at sword fighting for sometime now and she would obviously need to keep progressing on that level but she would also need infiltration, stealth and acrobatic skills and she hadn’t really learned much on that front. They would only be here until September, if Hay Lin could by chance give her at least some basic training in stealth and free running, it would be fine in her book, therefore she was thinking of asking her when they got to Hay Lin’s shop but she was hesitant as she thought there was little chance she might accept to do it for free and she didn’t want Madeleine to spend too much money on this. They used their carriage to go to the shop, following Hay Lin’s instructions

When they arrived there, they actually realized that her shop was not that far away from their own house, barely 5 or 6 min away from foot, which delighted Neri a bit especially for obvious reasons.

“Well here we are, please sit and get comfortable.” Hay Lin said when they got inside and she closed behind and continued “Wait for me here while I go and fetch some things upstairs but can you’re free to look around for anything you might be interested in in the shop. I have an assistant who helps manage my modestly sized establishment in the Bazaar. Though some people come here reasonably often, this shop tends to usually ship out things ordered in advance, usually at the Bazaar most of the time, so some of the stuff that I store in this shop might not be always on display there, sometimes thanks to a lack of space, but my assistant lets them know that we have more stuff available here that might be delivered to them at their preferred location.”

“I see, very well.” Madeleine answered. While Hay Lin went up, Frédéric took the opportunity to apologize to Madeleine for the incident “I should have been more reactive Madame, please forgive me.”.

“It’s okay Frédéric, it happens, don’t worry.”. Frédéric then respectfully bowed his head.

Then all four of them walked around the store for a while, looking at the things on displays and then Neri brought up Hay Lin’s acrobatic skills

“It’s really amazing the way she can move, don’t you think Tante (Aunt) Madeleine ?”

“Indeed it is, she must have gotten some serious training to achieve feats such as these.” Madeleine responded

“Yeah, it was great.” Camille added

“I have seen quite a few people free running in the past, but I have never seen this kind of fluidity in movements before.” Frédéric noted

After some time, Hay Lin returned with a large box in her hands, in which all sorts of items were and invited Madeleine to take a look as well as give her opinion on the stuff already on display on the ground floor, which she gladly did.

“Wow you do have a lot of interesting things around here. Those spices and pieces of cloth are the kind of things I’m always looking for.” Madeleine said, a bit excited

“I am glad these are to your liking Madame, if you want, I can go have a look at your merchandise too when we’re done here.”

“Certainly, I would like that. I also have business contacts that may interest you on top of this.”

“That’s perfect Madame.”

Madeleine spent a few more minutes taking what she needed from the shop, then she proceeded to share her contacts’ names and locations with Hay Lin. Both merchants were extremely satisfied with the transactions that were operated.

“Very well, let’s go to our house now. Are you ready ?” Madeleine asked Hay Lin who nodded in approval and all five of them left.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the house, Frédéric put the bags in their designated place, and Madeleine showed some of her merchandise to Hay Lin who in return, found some things to be of interest. As she had taken what she needed, thanked Madeleine deeply and was about to leave, Neri interrupted her action

“Wait!” the young girl said, which prompted Hay Lin to turn around, and all other eyes in the room (Camille, Frédéric and Madeleine) to focus on Neri.

“Sorry...I...I just...wanted to ask you something.” She asked, sounding a little nervous

“Yes ?”

“Hum...how did you….learn to move the way you do. The way you caught that thief was...breathtaking.”

“Oh, that, it’s a very long story, several people contributed to perfecting my current skills.” She responded with a smile

“I see, Well….since your shop is relatively close from here. and we’re leaving in September..I’d...really like to learn how to move like you, even if it’s just the basics but you probably won’t have the time and it might not be for free and I wouldn’t want Tante Madeleine to have to pay for something like th-”

“Oh not at all. I am able to do these things to such an extent, that means I am probably doing things to keep myself in shape. I practice regularly twice a week for several hours, I tried to get my assistant to be a partner during my sessions but he wasn’t interested in that as he found it too complicated, so having you as a training partner for the time you guys will be staying in Constantinople would actually be great for me as well. As long as your aunt is fine with it, I mean. And don’t worry about the money, I have been looking for someone to practice with for a while, plus me and your aunt have made great business so far, so it’s totally fine.”

“Really !? That’s great, thank you.” Neri answered before turning to Tante Madeleine for approval

“Um.. I didn’t see that coming but yes, if you really want to. Frédéric are you okay with that ?”

“Of course Madame, we will always have time to resume our training on other days or at worse when we return to Paris, since we’re only here for a few months, that’s definitely an opportunity she should be taking.”

“Excellent then. I’m sure we can find an arrangement for a day you can start teaching her what you know.”

“Very well, we’ll work something out. Though I must confess, I am surprised to see a girl of your background show interest in these things.”

“Well….that too is a long story, I’ll be sure to tell you everything in time.”

“I am looking forward to it. Thank you Madeleine, by everyone!” Hay Lin said as she took her things and left.

Madeleine and Hay Lin then arranged for the latter to come and train Neri 3 days after they had originally met at the Bazaar. When that day came, Neri put on her training outfit and waited for her new “teacher” to arrive. Frédéric accompanied Madeleine for her tasks in the morning while Aslan came to the house in order to stay with the girls in case they needed anything until Madeleine and Frédéric returned.

When Hay Lin arrived, she greeted Aslan and then made her way to the backyard where she was told Neri was waiting for her. She was wearing a mostly dark grey outfit with red lines on the edge and light grey flower motifs on various parts of the outfit. And the outfit still came with a hood, a style she was seemingly quite fond of. Aslan had already been made aware of who she was. Meanwhile, Camille was upstairs reading and writing letters to Marcel.

"Ah, you're very punctual Nerissa." Lin remarked

"Thank you. It would be disrespectful not to be."

"Well I'm glad to hear that, so shall we begin ?"

"Yes!".

"I have been told that you have been receiving training in sword fighting for more than a year now, correct ?"

"Yeah, we started in January of last year, I have been making steady progress."

"Good! How good is your balance when carrying a sword ?"

"Not an expert but I'll say it's an area in which I perform quite well."

"Perfect. The reason I am mentioning these things is because balance is obviously a key part in free running, if you excel there, everything else will come easily. So that's why I brought this." 

"Wow, what's this, I have never seen this weapon before."

"This weapon is called a _Naginata_ , it originated in Japan, since it is heavier than a sword and thus harder to maneuver, if you practice your attacking and dodging speed while using it, you can increase your agility even further. And as a bonus, you get to become skilled in a different type of weapon."

"Wow, that's a great idea, Hay Lin."

The _Naginata_ is a japanese weapon, usually considered iconic for Japanese female fighters during the feudal era. It consists of a wooden or metal pole with a curved metal edge at the end of it, used to inflict the bulk of the damage. The main one that Hay Lin brought was completely made of metal. However, she also brought two other ones that were just large wooden sticks, that had roughly the same size as a Naginata but without the edge, in order to practice and spar before they would move on to the next level, just like with Frédéric.

And so they started. Lin made several demonstrations that Neri was to reproduce and she did just that, they also sparred directly while using their respective poles. Unlike her sword training, she had a much easier time learning how to handle this larger type of weapon and mimicking her teacher’s movements. Her performance at dodging was pretty good as well and after several hours of practice, she tried carrying her sword and doing all sorts of combinations and she noted that she felt herself to be lighter and having more balance, a result of having practiced all day with a heavier weapon. These results were night and day compared to her first training session last year.

“Wow, you’re a fast learner and very talented, If you keep this up you will have made incredible progress when September comes.” Hay Lin expressed near the end of their session

“Thank you so much, it would not be possible without your help.”

“My pleasure. Now we’re almost done for the day, see that small scaffolding over there. I’ll climb on top of it, I’ll do it very slowly, it’s fine if you can’t do as I can today, we still have time but look carefully.”

“Right!”

Hay Lin then got close to the scaffolding, raised her arms, jumped, grabbed the platform at the top and then raised her entire body to put herself at the top, all relatively slowly.

“See ? I’ll do it again if you want.”

“Yes please!”

Hay Lin got down and proceeded to redo the same thing for Neri to see and memorize.

“Alright. Wish to try it ? I’ll be right behind you in case something goes wrong so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I’d like to try it.”

“Great, come then.”

“Right!”

Neri then approached, put her arms up, jumped and grabbed theplatform and tried to raise herself on top of it. It demanded a huge effort but she managed to do it. 

“Wow you did it!”

“Yeah...but...I’ll need more time to do it as easily as you.”

“Of course, it’s just the first day. In the following sessions I’ll show you on how to get on top of that scaffolding while running. You’ll basically have to run from a certain distance, wait for the right moment and then push your entire body up so that you can grab the platform and then quickly get on top of it. It will be very useful if you’re pursuing someone for example. I’m sure if we keep working or your speed, agility and balance you’ll be able to do it.”

“Thank you so much, I’m very lucky to have you as a teacher.”

“My pleasure.”

She then helped Neri get down safely.

“Alright, that should be enough for today.”

“Yes...I think so too.”

“Come sit with me over there, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Sure.”

When they sat down against the wall, Hay Lin asked “What motivates you ? Why are you doing all of this ? You said it was a long story the other day, mind telling me now ?” She asked Neri with a smile

“Oh right well….”

Neri then proceeded to tell her everything that had happened. The Pazzi conspiracy, her father’s brutal murder right in front of her eyes, her family’s arrest and imprisonement, the false and humiliating charges against her mother, her mother and brother’s deaths and finally how Madeleine saved her and brought her to safety and her decision to get revenge on the people who caused her misfortune. While saying all of that, Neri couldn’t help but cry.

“So...that’s...that’s basically it.” Neri said, the emotion overwhelming in her voice.

“Oh...I’m really sorry. That’s much worse than I thought.” Hay Lin said in a comforting tone, putting her hand on Neri’s shoulder.

She continued “You probably know it’s going to be extremely dangerous but you’ve made a choice and made it this far, so I’ll do everything I can to help you achieve your goal.”

“Thank you. Hum….If you don’t mind...I wanted to ask you about your past too, if that’s okay.” Neri asked

“Of course. As I said before, I come from China. I was born into imperial custody in 1464, so I am 21 now. My mother was a concubine of an imperial advisor and thus was I raised to be a future concubine, this time for the emperor. Thankfully, nothing really happened to me on that level, but I obviously could not have predicted the future so I received the type of education that a future expected concubine would.

However, some of us would be trained intensely in combat from a very young age but also in dancing, the latter which was considerably focused on significant acrobatic feats. We had to perform every week, Thus, I developed an affinity for this kind of thing.

I saw some terrible things during my time there. When I was 5 years old, I witnessed the execution of a man for the first time. This specific method of execution was particularly gruesome and was called _Lingchi_ , or _death by a thousand cuts_ in literal translation. Even outside of that, I would sometimes see servants being physically mistreated and needlessly humiliated.

The emperor at some point, due to my acrobatic and stealth skills, forced me to entertain guests outside of the regular dance performances and even sometimes play pranks on them. 

Later on, my mother died of illness and a few weeks later, there was an incident at the palace. Due to the confusion, I was able to escape, so as implied earlier, I thankfully never became an official concubine. On the road, due to exhaustion, I collapsed and I was then found by a man who saved me and nursed me back to health. After that, many more things happened and at the age of 15, I decided to leave the country in order to establish myself here in Constantinople. It was tough at first, but with a lot of help from others, I managed to establish my shop.”

“Wow, your background is really fascinating. Do...I mean...are you planning to stay in Constantinople for many more years ?”

“I’m not sure. I enjoy it here. For the foreseeable future, I believe I will be in this city. Maybe one day, I’ll return home but nothing is set in stone.”

“I see.”

“Well, it was great spending the day with you, now I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at the next session!”

“Alright. Thanks again, bye!”

**_Constantinople, September 20th 1485_ **

Months had passed and now, the time to return home was finally here. The stay was extremely lucrative for Madeleine’s business, though she was getting a bit exhausted and couldn’t wait to return home to get a bit of well deserved rest. Camille also, who despite enjoying the city was really itching to return to the French Capital. Frédéric had managed to subdue 2 robbers over the months while accompanying Madeleine, seems like thieves had gotten the word that there would have been ample opportunity for their antics at this time.

As far as Neri is concerned, she had learned an enormous amount of things since June. In just 3 months of practice, her skills with the Naginata were equal to her ability with the sword, though in both cases she would need to keep practicing. Since she would not be able to keep training with Hay Lin, the latter wrote several instructions in a notebook that would help her continue to train on her own once she was back in France. Neri had also learned how to climb effectively. She wasn’t as good as Hay Lin but still had a great level in the exercise. Not only could she now jump-climb on a scaffolding in the middle of a run, but she was also taught how to climb buildings themselves, though in that department, she would also need to keep up her practice.

“Goodbye Hay Lin, thanks for everything, I’ve been very lucky to have you.”

“My pleasure, it’s been really fun. Have a safe trip and write to me if you wish okay ?”

“Okay!”

Hay Lin had offered the Naginata and the wooden poles to Neri. It would not be an issue as Hay Lin knew how to craft one, instructions to build one in the future in case of need were also included in the notebook that she gave to Neri.

Neri and company then said goodbye to everyone and were going towards their ship.

“I can’t wait to get home, I wonder how much Marcel missed me.” Camille asked rhetorically

“I’m sure he was dreaming of you every single night.” Madeleine added which caused the group to laugh a little.

They were advancing further and the ship was right in front of them and that’s when a particular conversation caught Neri’s ears and caused her to stop and listen while the rest of the group was advancing, not noticing she had stopped moving. It was two men, speaking in italian in a distressed tone,

“What...what did you just say ?”

“It’s true, signore (Sir). 9 days ago, Emilio Barbarigo was murdered in his palazzo (palace) in Venice, and we’re not exactly sure who is behind it.”

“But how is that possible ? Emilio is one of the most powerful men in Venice, a lot of merchants in Constantinople buy his merchandise and he employs the best possible guards, how come no one found his killer ? How is it possible for him to be killed without a trace ?”

“I have no idea, but whoever did it, must be very skilled. The strange thing is that I have also learned that, just around 2 days after Emilio’s death, the Doge of Venice, Giovanni Mocenigo also suddenly died in the Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace), many suspect that he was poisoned and there is reason to believe that he was, but here again we can’t be sure of anything. Maybe I am superstitious but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a link between these two affairs. ”

“These news are quite unsettling indeed.”

The reason Neri got intrigued by the conversation is because Emilio Barbarigo is the name that was mentioned by Madeleine and had the beginning of their stay here. the cruel, greedy and ruthless merchant seems to no longer be in this world. 

However, Camille noticed that Neri was significantly behind the group and called out her name screaming

“Neri! Neri! What are you doing ? Come back quickly!”

“Oh...my god, we didn’t even notice it. Neri! Come back please.” Madeleine added

“Sorry! I’m coming”

Soon after, they all got on the ship and started their journey back home. Neri did not immediately share the news of Emilio’s death (though she would later) as she thought that he wasn’t something that would affect them, though she still found the affair intriguing, especially with its supposed link with the death of Doge Mocenigo. However, little did she know at the time, that the person behind Emilio’s death….was none other than Ezio.

_**Author’s note : Please let me know what you think and I’ll see you next time.** _


	10. Chapter 10

**_Paris, May 1491_ **

Nearly six years had passed since the journey to Constantinople, Neri had celebrated her 19th birthday the past month and now she felt like she was finally ready to initiate her crusade. She had been training even more intensely for all this time and now felt sufficiently trained for her mission, in combat (including hand to hand fighting), stealth and climbing, though it should be mentioned that in agility and stealth, despite her unbelievable progress, she was not quite on Hay Lin’s level, however it was alright and Neri was still pretty good in that department, it just happened that her teacher’s skills were simply extraordinary. 

Neri was now around 5’5 (167 cm) and she had a curvaceous and yet very athletic figure with an extremely toned midriff. All in all, she was in great shape. Her blonde hair grew slightly longer and her green eyes were even more piercing than before. In the years since 1485, she had been getting more and more male attention and many boys her age showed interest in her, though she had to refuse their advances in the kindest possible way as she thought she sadly could not focus on such things right now.

She had also been thinking a lot about Luigi, the mysterious young man from many years ago. According to her mark, the book was still at the same place, which pleased her but also made her more and more impatient to go and look for him once she would be done with her revenge before returning to Paris in a definite manner. Who was he, really ? What was his last name ? Did he really reveal all he knew about the book ? Does he know about the truth about the prophet mentioned in the book ? If his great-uncle really wrote that book, who could that great-uncle be ? Those questions kept torturing her over the years but now she felt like she was close to getting answers on many of these questions.

For Camille and Madeleine, many things had changed as well. Madeleine’s business had grown immensely the past few years and was seemingly only going to get more prosperous. Madeleine worked extremely hard, finishing many of her days exhausted, however interestingly enough even with all of this, at 38 years old, Madeleine looked exactly the same as she did 6 years ago and hadn’t aged a day despite her demanding job. 

Camille and Marcel had gotten engaged last month, they truly loved each other and were very happy. They planned to get married the following year, sometime in 1492, their last names (Rousseau for Camille and Lemay for Marcel) would be combined and the couple would be the main heirs of Madeleine business, though Neri was also invited to assist in the management of the business in the future once her work was done. Marcel has grown in maturity, he was now even able to openly laugh about his own disastrous performance in a sparring match against Neri many years ago, and how his overconfidence had cost him dearly. Marcel and his mother had purchased a large house that was right next to Madeleine’s household and he spent an awful lot of time there, so “virtually”, Marcel was pretty much already living with his future bride though they would not share the same room until marriage. Madeleine saw this as the family growing bigger and she could not be happier as even after marriage Camille and Marcel would still be living in the house, as it was big enough to offer them any privacy they would want and also because they wanted to. Marcel and his mother were also told about Neri’s reasons for temporarily returning to Italy and they both understood perfectly.

Frédéric was fairly satisfied with the tremendous progress that Neri had made and he now considered her to be even better than he was at sword fighting. 

Therefore while they kept sparring together, he believed that he had nothing more to teach her, as she had managed to gain the upper hand on him in training several times the past year and he wished her success in her endeavors after which Neri gave him a hug and thanked him for teaching her everything he knew.

And thus, the day of departure for Neri had finally arrived. Madeleine had agreed to support her financially while she was in Italy and in return, Neri would also sometimes receive some of her merchandise that she would then try to sell at an interesting price and send most of the money back to Paris. So in her room, Neri put everything that she would need (clothes, weapons, food…) in her luggages and got ready to move out. She was really hoping that this adventure would take a couple of months best case scenario, or 3-4 years at most. But she was eager to do it, so that she could finally move on and return and live peacefully afterwards.

Marcel and his mother had to attend an event and therefore could not be here at this time, they were accompanied by Frédéric so they said their goodbyes to her before leaving. And then Madeleine and Camille entered Neri’s room.

“So…..this is it then.” Camille said with a sad tone

“Yeah….” Neri answered in a similarly depressed manner

“Listen Neri….having you with us in this house has been a blessing. We’ve had such a good time together. I just wish this did not have to happen under the gruesome circumstances that it did. I just want you to know that you’re like the sister I always wanted to have before and…..I love you. The endless nights spent talking, playing and giggling….I’ll always cherish those memories.” Camille said with tears in her eyes before continuing “....And there won’t be a day I won’t miss you when you’re gone.”

Neri and Madeleine also had tears flowing and too emotional to be able to utter a word, all 3 of them simply hugged for several minutes until Neri broke the silence

“I promise you, I’ll return safely, I’ll write to you many times, so please, as hard as it might be..don’t worry too much. You’ve been extremely kind to me, you have covered me with affection from the day I arrived here and…..I owe you my life. I hope we will be reunited soon enough. I’m sure that Maman, Papa and Marco would be very proud and happy that you have taken care of me so well."

"I hope they would be, and especially that their souls have been able to find peace, Chérie (dear). You already know how I feel, you mean a lot to me. Do whatever you need to do and when your mind is at peace, come back to us. This is also your home and it will always be, never forget it.” Madeleine said to her niece

"Merci Tante Madeleine, Merci pour tout (Thank you Aunt Madeleine, thank you for everything)." Neri said.

“Alright, Camille, let’s help her with her luggage, the carriage driver is waiting downstairs.”

“You’re right Maman (mom).”

On the way out, Neri also hugged and said goodbye to Sophie and thanked her for all she had done for her, and for her soup, that Neri had enjoyed so much in the first weeks of her living in Paris and Sophie wished her luck in her adventure, adding that she was eager for her to return “for good” after she was done.

Once outside and as she was about to enter her carriage, Neri looked behind one last time at Madeleine, Camille and Sophie and then shed a tear and waved her hand to them, to which all three of them waved back with Camille, also teary eyed also loudly saying “Au revoir Neri, J'espère que tu reviendras à temps pour mon mariage!! (Goodbye Neri, I hope you’ll be back in time for my wedding!!). Neri nodded in approval, and then she entered the carriage and closed the door. She was leaving behind people she loved deeply as well the city that she had now come to call home and that saw her recovery and growth. Now, she had to be focused and ready, to strike back at the people who caused so much harm to her and her family.

**_Florence, May 1491_ **

She had traveled from Paris to Toulon in order to take a ship there that would take her to Pisa in Italy before continuing to Florence on land and after around 12 days she had made it back to the Medici-ruled city, her place of birth and yet also one that felt almost cursed to her at this point. Coming back here obviously slightly reignited old traumas but she had to stand strong. In Italy (not in France though), she would be using a different last name “Nerissa Mancini” as she thought it would be much wiser due to the tense political situation there and especially because she would be staying at an inn (hotel) in Florence and in other places too.

The place she was staying at was quite comfortable and after taking around a few days to rest from the long trip, she started planning her move. She did her homework and learned that Alfonso Albergo and his wife Sina were surprisingly put on house arrest a few days before her arrival, by Lorenzo who had grown dissatisfied with them and were currently located in a villa in the countryside not too far from where Neri was residing. Knowing how cruel Lorenzo can be it would be a nice cover for Neri and she could go there by horse in the night, eliminate them and then return. However, it was also said that the place was guarded by around 8 men at all times, but due to her training, Neri felt confident that she could knock them out, kill Alfonso and Sina and then leave before they noticed a thing, as the villa was quite isolated but the environment made it possible for someone to infiltrate. She did not have much choice anyway, she had trained so hard for a reason after all. As an important note, Alfonso and Sina had no children, same thing with Cornelio.

Neri’s standard outfit was a grey and blue vest that had leather arm protectors, on top of a white shirt with a white lace tie, with grey pants accompanied by a red sash with a brown belt, with boots at the bottom, that also act as leg protectors, she had several sets of this type of outfit and some in different colors. For her mission, she would also be wearing a mask that covers her mouth as well as a black hooded cloak. She would be carrying a sword and a few knives as equipment, all of which were well hidden under her hooded cloak. She also had several sets of gloves made of a fabric that happened to be able to block the light of her mark to the outside viewer when it activates, which would be extremely useful for infiltration.

She left early in the morning though, and took some of Madeleine’s merchandise that she put in a box that was going to be put on her horse’s back while travelling, jokingly telling the innkeeper that she would be busy all day due to that and that she hoped to find good buyers and luckily she managed to sell the entire stock throughout the day, making a nice profit, though it was a small portion it was still a good deal. The innkeeper had even advised her on potential people who could be interested in Madeleine’s items. When all of that was done, she rode near to the place where Alfonso’s villa was located and waited for night to fall.

After putting her horse at a safe distance, she advanced and activated her mark, scanned the area with her “eagle vision”, there were indeed 8 men guarding the place. Furthermore and interestingly enough, according to her vision there weren’t just two people inside the house (Alfonso and Sina) but three, another figure was inside and Neri was certain she could recognize that person’s particular shape as well,, but she needed to enter the house in order to be certain. So she came up with a plan of attack. The place was indeed quite isolated but there were rows of bushes all around the area, which would help her with infiltration. She then kept her eagle vision activated at all times and positioned herself in the bushes, some of the guards were moving while others were staying still. One of the guards who happened to walk too close to her hiding spot, was grabbed and quickly knocked out by Neri who then hid his body in the bushes. And another guard was taken out the exact same way moments later, with his body also hidden, that meant 6 guards were left. 

She then advanced through the bushes, came out and proceeded to walk behind two guards that were walking closely together in patrol, and she smashed their heads by putting one against the other, causing them to be knocked out instantly. Before coming out of the bushes, she had noticed a haystack cart that was against one of the walls of the house and she quickly put their bodies there. There were haystacks all around which made her task far easier. 4 guards left.

She then hid in another haystack that was also against the wall,waited for one of the guards to pass by it and also knocked him out and dragged his body inside the haystack to hide it. 3 guards left.

The three remaining guards were all at the front entrance and were the ones standing still. However, with everyone else cleared, it would be easy to take them down. So she then got up on the roof of the large villa, advanced and then found herself right above the three guards, who hadn’t yet noticed that something was off and who frankly didn’t look that focused on their task. Neri had identified minutes before a large metal pool that was hanging above two of the guards but slightly behind them, while the third guard was also standing a further forward than the other two. 

Therefore, Neri discreetly jumped down, grabbing the pole in the process without making a big sound and while hanging, used both of her legs to bring together and smash the two guards’ heads like she had done previously, but this time obviously with her legs instead. The shock made a sound, but the last guard did not hear a thing, thus Neri easily went behind him and knocked him out as well. She then proceeded to quickly hide their bodies in the nearby haystacks. All of the guards were cleared.

She then climbed back and entered the villa by one of the windows. She activated her mark and then proceeded towards her targets’ positions ……

“Do not worry, while he might be angry at you, I’m sure Signore (Sir) Medici will reconsider. He’s just had a tough time recently.” The third person said

“(Sigh), I hope so, I very much hope so. We did so much for him, and helped him get rid of the Pazzi vermins, he could at least be a little more lenient, we do not deserve this treatment.” Alfonso said

“I understand you, I am glad we helped him get rid of these wretches, especially that French-speaking whore and her idiot son, though it’s too bad the daughter managed to get away. However, with all of that said, do not forget that you would not even hold this position without him. You and I owe a lot to Signore Medici, just like my brother said, I’m confident that he will come around. If he truly wanted to get rid of us, we probably would have been executed immediately. So you should trust Cornelio’s judgement”

So, the third man speaking with them was indeed Cornelio Bonelli who as just indicated, actually was Sina’s brother and thus Alfonso Brother in law,, all three of them were in the kitchen, and Neri with her back against the wall right next to the entrance of said kitchen had just listened to the disparaging comments made about her mother Raphaelle, and her little brother Marco. Her heart was beating fast, her mark was glowing under her glove and the anger within her was rising sharply, enough was enough, fate had been somewhat kind this time, as three of her targets were in one room and she could eliminate them all at once, and so she made her way towards them, her steps were slow and had an intimidating feel to them, almost like a horror show, exacerbated by her black cloak and her face mask covering her mouth.

She was then standing at the entrance looking at her three targets, who spent a few seconds before realizing they were being watched, and when, they did, panic set in…

“Www-Who are you ? Guards!!! Guards !!! Help quickly!! Quickly!!” Sina said, stuttering, the fear, far too apparent in her voice. The fact that someone neither of them three seemed to recognize, dressed the way Neri was and with the way she was looking at them, had managed to slip through and get inside without anyone noticing, was completely and understandably terrifying to her.

Alfonso also screamed for the guards and then asked “Who the hell are you !? What do you want !!?” and picked up a kitchen knife as his sword wasn’t on him.

Whereas Cornelio simply got up and was cowering in the corner, unable to say anything, too terrified to even utter a word..

Neri stayed silent a few more seconds, not saying a word, simply looking at them, an act that only increased the fear and anxiety within her targets’ hearts.

As she was about to advance, Alfonso moved forward as well and tried to strike her with the knife he had just grabbed, however, without even drawing her own sword or knives, she blocked his attack with her left hand, headbutted him, grabbed the knife with her right hand, pinned his left hand against the wall and plunged his the knife through Alfonso’s left palm, who started bleeding and screaming intensely.

“Alfonso !!!!” Sina screamed in terror but before she could do a thing, Neri removed the knife from Alfonso’s left palm, and immediately plunged it into his right palm this time also against the wall, causing him to make a high pitched scream. Neri once again removed the knife and plunged it back to his left palm again leaving it pinned against the wall with the knife, causing him to once again scream in despair, and then, she pulled one of her own knives, put his right arm in position and drove it back through Alfonso’s right palm, leaving it pinned as well, putting Alfonso in pseudo crucified position in the kitchen’s wall. All of this without a single word from Neri, while Alfonso now had tears coming down his face due to the unbelievable amount of pain.

Sina was crying but helpless, while Cornelio was horrified but also couldn’t say a thing.

Neri looked at Alfonso and told him in a sarcastic manner “I’ll deal with you later.” as if she hadn’t done anything to him yet and she then turned her attention to Sina and Cornelio. They were moving backwards in fear as she was moving forwards towards them.

She slowly walked to Cornelio who was against the corner and whose entire body was shaking, feeling nothing but fear, Neri simply pulled out another knife and drove it through Cornelio’s throat in an extremely violent way, killing him almost instantly and his now dead body fell on the ground. Sina tried to intervene by hitting her but Neri blocked her arm and slapped her, causing her to fall as well. Sina’s eyes were now red and the tears were still traveling down her face

“Cornelio !! Damn it!! Argh!!” Alfonso, yelled, still pinned to the wall and deeply in pain

“WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT DO YOU WANT !? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS!? WHY ARE YOU HURTING MY FAMILY!?” She screamed at the top of her lungs as she got up.

“Well, I could have…..” Neri started while proceeding to lower her hood and lowering her face mask

“.....asked you the same question once. Don’t you think Sina ?” Neri said finishing her sentence

Noticing Neri’s blond hair, green eyes and her overall resemblance to Raphaelle, as well as the meaning of her words, Sina came to realize who she was.

“NO!! NO!! That’s impossible, N-n-n-Nerissa ?” Sina asked horrified

“What !? No….” Alfonso asked confused, with a weak voice

Sina was back on her feet but couldn’t say a word and so Neri asked sarcastically “What’s wrong Sina ? Don’t you have any more insults to throw at me or my dead mother ?” Neri said while drawing her sword and pointing it at her, very close to her face.

Surprisingly after that, Sina immediately fell to her knees in front of Neri, begging for her life and trying to ask for Mercy for her and Alfonso..

“Please, we’ll give you anything! Anything you want!! Just---”

“Enough!!” Neri yelled at her before continuing 

“I was just about to ask one question : Where is Ezio Auditore ? Do you or your husband know where he is ?” Neri pursued

“The Auditore kid ? Well...we’ve….we’ve never met him but…..but...he is quite close to Lorenzo, we have heard last month that he was in Venice and spent a lot of time there, with…..with…. a man called Antonio de Magianis….. around the San...San polo district with the local thieves guild.” Sina answered, stuttering, her voice shaking, hoping it would help their case.

“Well, thank you.” Neri answered

“Then….are...are you going to let us go ?” Sina said, unrealistically hopeful

But Neri answered: “You didn’t really think it would be that easy now, did you ? It’s pointless to try and save yourself at this point, your fate is sealed. You and your acolytes humiliated and murdered my parents, ruined the future of my little brother, mistreated him until he died and you dare beg for ME for mercy !? No….my parents, my brother…..they are the ones you should be begging for mercy and forgiveness, for everything you did and you’ll have all the time to do so and after I end your life….here and now. Addio (Goodbye) Sina.”. After those words, Neri swung her sword and decapitated her, Sina was no more.

“Sina!!! No, NO!!” Alfonso screamed in complete despair, but still pinned to the wall, unable to do a single thing

Neri then grabbed Sina’s head by the hair and walked towards Alfonso and then pointed the head of his now deceased wife towards him.

“Tell me Signore Albergo, How does it feel to watch someone you love and deeply care for, be killed right in front of you while you watch helpless, powerless and unable to do a single thing to change the course of the events ? Well you don’t need to answer, I’m sure you know how it feels. Though, my father that day was innocent, and your wife certainly wasn’t.” Neri said, smirking at him, hoping to rile him up, which succeeded as he was boiling inside, wishing he could do something.

Neri then threw away Sina’s head on the side without breaking eye contact with him, which enraged Alfonso even more “You’re going to pay for this!” he yelled at her. 

Ignoring this empty threat, she pulled out another knife and pierced Alfonso’s left eye,

“Aaaaaaargh !!!” He yelled, agonizingly

The now half blind man was sobbing and crying, tears flowing down with his remaining eye. This was the most embarrassing night of his life, he saw himself, the great Medici captain, as unable to protect his loved ones and completely and humiliatingly helpless in front of a teenage girl.

Neri proceeded to remove the knives on Alfonso’s palms, freeing his hands, but doing so did not make the pain disappear and this coupled with the pain of losing an eye made him far too weak to do anything against Neri. She then also removed the knife from Alfonso’s eye and put the two knives she owned back in their places while the kitchen knife was left on the ground. 

After that, she grabbed him and repeatedly punched the man, breaking his nose in the process, leaving him to look completely miserable on the ground and at her feet. She then got him up, sliced two of his fingers on his left hand, and then ultimately she cut off his left arm itself with her sword. Alfonso was then left bleeding profusely from what was left of that arm, leading him to yell in pain and terror on the ground.

“Aaargh, please!! Please !!! I yield! I YIELD!!”

“Aww Alfonso, have you already given up on making me pay ? How disappointing.” Neri said to him, mockingly looking at her own fingers in ladylike fashion, trying to make him feel as miserable as possible and to embarrass him even further.

Alfonso then tried to crawl away from Neri in fear, screaming for help and hoping that someone might come to rescue him, to no success.

"No! Stay away from me! Please!!" He yelled at Neri who could barely contain her laugh looking at his state

"And you were the one the Medici used to employ and view as one of their top captains ? How embarrassing!" Neri said, chuckling at him with her hand slightly covering her mouth

It was the end for Alfonso : terrified, outplayed, humiliated and laying on the ground. Neri simply walked to him, got him up again, grabbed his head from behind and ultimately snapped his neck, brutally ending Alfonso Albergo’s life.

3 of the people she hated the most in the world, were now dead. Her training and all of her efforts had so far, wonderfully paid off.

**_Ravenna, Italy, May 1491_ **

It had been around a week now since Neri’s revenge. After eliminating Alfonso, Sina and Cornelio, she safely and stealthily made it back to her inn and no one suspected a thing. She then left the place 2 days after, thanking the innkeeper and letting him know she had had a very “productive stay” in the area, referring to the merchandise she was able to sell, but also secretly referring to her revenge, unbeknownst to the innkeeper. 

The night after the deed was done, she broke down in her bed, thinking once again about her parents and little brother and all of the suffering they had to go through, but she was obviously glad that some form of justice had been served. She did not want to go after Lorenzo immediately, therefore she opted to go see Ezio first and question him and ask why the kind boy she once knew was now apparently so closely aligned with Lorenzo de Medici, a cruel man she hated with all her heart. And interestingly enough, though Neri did not know it yet, Lorenzo upon learning of the brutal deaths of Alfonso, Sina and Cornelio, though extremely surprised, ultimately did not seem to care that much about their fates, quickly moved on from it. 

Neri therefore decided to travel to Venice and look for him there, with the information that she had been provided with and now she was in the town of Ravenna and the ship she was supposed to take in order to go to Venice was leaving in two hours, but she was on time. Her luggages were already on the ship and she was walking near the port, waiting for the time they were to leave.

Then as she kept walking around, she came across a young woman, right in front of her from a very short distance, that was sitting on a bench. The woman at one point turned to her left, seemingly to look for something inside her bag but at the same time, another man went towards the woman, grabbed a necklace that the woman had left on the bench to her right and started running.

Surprisingly, the woman had not noticed yet what had happened, but when she did notice and turned back to her, Neri had already started running after the thief and after dodging a few obstacles, she tackled and overpowered him and took back the necklace, whereas the woman had also grabbed her bag and ran towards her position to see what was happening. After that, some guards that were around the area seized the thief and took him away.

Neri then walked to the woman to return the necklace.

“Grazie. Thank you so much, I’m sorry I got really distracted,.” The woman said

“You’re welcome.” Neri answered with a smile

“This necklace means so much to me, can’t think of what would have happened had I lost it.”

“I see, did someone close give it to you ?”

“Yes, my father did, some time ago on my birthday. I’ve been cherishing it ever since.”

“Oh I see, that’s understandable.”

The woman was around Neri’s age and furthermore she had a particular accent that Neri had heard some time ago before.

“Oh by the way, I never asked for your name did I?”

“I am Nerissa, you can call me Neri for short, I’m from Florence.”

“Pleased to meet you, Neri. My name is Thea, I’m Austrian.”

“You’re Austrian ? Wow I could have sworn….I mean thought you sounded like---” 

“--Sounded like a Venetian ?” Thea asked with a smile before Neri could finish her sentence. 

Neri recognized the accent she had heard from some of the venetian merchants in Constantinople when she went there.

Thea pursued “Well you wouldn’t exactly be wrong. I was actually born in Venice but mostly raised in Vienna, Austria and come from a noble family there. Due to circumstances, we also had to relocate Munich (Germany) between 1485 and 1487 I had an Venetian tutor and spent most of my summers in Venice until I was 17 back in 1489, when I moved permanently to Venice while my family stayed back in Vienna and I am actually on my way there the next ship to Venice is leaving in a few hours.”

“I see, that makes sense. Well, I am also on my way to Venice on the next ship. It will be my first time there”

“Oh what a coincidence, we’ll be on the same ship! Are you visiting someone there ?”

“Well, I guess you could say that. It’s an old friend I haven’t seen in a while and someone I need to have an important conversation with, though I can’t say we’re necessarily on the best of terms at the moment, so it will be very tense. It’s not like he’ll be there to welcome me or anything, he doesn’t even know that I’m coming.” Neri explained

"Oh I see, I’m really sorry. well I hope everything turns out well for you and your friend.” Thea responded

“I hope so too.”

“Well, If you do not mind, once we arrive there, I can give you a tour of the city if you’d like ?”

“Yes, that could be fun, thank you.”

“And I imagine will you be staying at an inn (hotel) ? Or do you have someone else in place there ?”

“Yes, staying at an inn was the plan, why ?” Neri asked

“Well, like I said I was really grateful that you brought back my necklace, maybe you can stay at my house, just for a few days, so that you can save money ? That’s the least I can do for you after helping me.”

“Oh, that’s too kind, I’m not sure that--” Neri began

“It will be fine, don’t worry. That’s how much this necklace meant to me.” Thea insisted

“Thank you Thea, that’s very generous.”

“You’re welcome. You know, you look like a very interesting and adventurous person from what I’ve seen so far, your acrobatic skills are mind blowing. I am a bit adventurous myself, I’ve enjoyed mysteries and puzzles for a while and it has become a passion of mine. From a young age, me and my brother were given sword lessons and we were later taught how to swim and climb, my father thought it would be useful if we ever found ourselves in perilous situations of all kinds, I wasn’t sure at first but I was later grateful for our training because it allowed me to pursue this passion of mine. I am actually back from a trip where I was looking for a precious mysterious stone that was relatively well hidden right here---.” Thea said while pulling a black stone out of her bag while Neri was looking at it, intrigued

“--Without my training, especially in climbing, I probably would not have been able to retrieve the stone and it was hidden behind several sorts of puzzles in a remote cave.”

“Wow, you are quite adventurous indeed.” Neri said with a smile.

Thea was around Neri’s height and was only a few months younger than her. She had long black hair and brown eyes, and had a very gentle and comforting expression and overall demeanor. She was also wearing something quite similar to Neri’s standard outfits, not surprising as a usual dress would not have allowed her the kind of mobility needed to achieve the things she had just mentioned.

**_Venice, May 1491_ **

Neri and Thea spent some time together on the ship on the way to Venice, with Thea mainly going into more details regarding her stone hunting adventure, which Neri was truly fascinated by. Neri was also thinking of staying in Venice for a few weeks, longer than she had stayed in Florence, so that she could write to Madeleine and Camille back in Paris, informing them of recent developments and also receive an answer from that before she maybe moves on to another city. 

Also, regarding Ezio, Neri knew full well that if it had to come down to a fight between the two of them, it would be foolish of her to think that it would be an easy one and that she could just walk up to him and effortlessly dispose of the guy the way she did with Alfonso. She remembered the things she had heard about Ezio while she was in prison with Raphaelle and Marco, and the feats he had accomplished way back in 1483, and that was 8 years ago, so Ezio would probably be a much stronger opponent now and there was a good chance she could lose her life in battle against him. 

When Thea and Neri finally arrived in Venice, they got off the ship not too far from Piazza San Marco and another woman that was apparently working for Thea who called her “Miss Sauer” indicating that Sauer was Thea’s family name. The woman was then instructed to help transport Neri’s luggages to Thea’s place, while Neri and Thea were walking around the city a bit, however while advancing, they noticed a small crowd of civilians and a few guards that were looking at something on the ground, but Neri and Thea couldn’t see what it was and so they got closer in order to have a better look at the situation.

When they arrived, both of them were horrified by what they saw. 

“Oh my god.” Thea said quietly, Whereas Neri did not say a word but looked unsettled by this gruesome sight.

It was a man, looking like he was around 50 years old, on the ground, dead. Even more than that, whoever had killed this man, had carved a marking on this victim’s left arm, that everyone in the crowd could see. 

The marking was seemingly carved with a knife and read (in italian) :” LIES”

But why ?

“Wait, I recognize him, this person, it’s...Ignazio Contarini, a member of the council of ten. one of the most powerful men in the city’s government.” Thea remarked which caused Neri to look at her with a concerned expression, unsure of what to think.

And then, both of them heard from someone in the crowd right next to them that this was the second time this week that a high profile individual had been killed in this manner, with the killer leaving a carved word on the victim’s arm. The previous victim was a high ranking officer in the venetian police force. It also seems like the victims were killed in a different location and then dropped at random places without anyone noticing.

This unsettled Neri even more but then she heard something else from two other people in the crowd that quickly caught her attention. It was a man and a woman speaking. The woman was dressed like a courtesan and the man did not have flattering clothes.

“Dio mio (my god) why is this happening now when everyone’s away and out of the city? I hope Ezio, Antonio and the others return soon, otherwise, we’ll have serious issues.” The woman said

“You’re absolutely right.” The man remarked

Wait a minute, Ezio ? Antonio ? As in Ezio Auditore and Antonio de Magianis, the Antonio mentioned by Sina ? It could be a coincidence, but Neri firmly believed those were the individuals she was looking for and it sadly looked as if they weren’t in Venice at the time but that they could be returning very soon.

Neri, still wearing her special gloves, activated her mark in order to scan Ignazio’s corpse and see if she could find something, and indeed, she did find something worthy of mention. In Ignazio’s left pocket, she noticed that there was a piece of paper hanging out, and to the surprise of Thea and the rest of the crowd, Neri advanced towards the corpse ignoring the guards, knelt and pulled out the piece of paper, unfolded it and read what was on it and it looked like a riddle.

On the paper, Neri could read : _“What is the fastest way to get rid of strings ?”--- A knife”_

Assuming the killer left that note, which was very likely, it looked like said killer wanted to send a message or give away a clue to his motives through this strange riddle but he or she also seemingly provided the answer to his own enigma by mentioning the knife, so what was the killer trying to say here exactly ?

She then turned to one of the guards, showed him the note and told him that the killer might have left a clue for the authorities, but the guard simply took the note from her hands angrily and told her to get back.

“Come Neri, we should get out of there.” Thea said while grabbing her hand.

As they were on their way to Thea’s place, the latter asked “So, what exactly was written on that note ?”

“It was very strange. it said “What _is the fastest way to get rid of strings ?”_ And provided the answer right after by saying : _A knife_. Any idea what that could mean ?”

“I mean I’m not sure but I’d love to investigate, knowing that this is the second victim killed in this fashion this week , I believe we are on to a very special brand of serial killer. I don’t know about you but I’d love to investigate. That’s the kind of mystery I’d like to get answered” Thea said

“Yes, it is very intriguing, I’d really like to investigate too, if I have enough time. I feel like there’s something bigger at play here.” Neri remarked

“That’s great, we’ll do it together then. By the way, we’re almost there, I hope you’ll enjoy the house!”

**Author’s note : Heavy and brutal chapter isn’t it ? What do you think of the revenge and of Neri’s new friend Thea ? Who is our mysterious serial killer ?**

**By the way, if you had trouble visualizing Neri's standard outfits, they're pretty much similar to Elise's main outfit in AC Unity. See you in the next one!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Note** : Thea Sauer, born on June 30th 1472.

Also forgot to mention last time that Thea and her family had to relocate temporarily to Munich (in Southern Germany) between 1485 and 1487. I made the correction update on the previous chapter, sorry about that.

_**Venice, May 1491** _

Neri and Thea had been at the latter's place for a few hours now. Thea's house was quite large, and it also served as a bookshop on the ground floor that 3 other girls helped Thea manage, especially when she is away. The place opened to customers at around 10 am and was closed to them at around 5 pm but the shop mainly operated through deliveries. A relatively humble looking business for a noblewoman but it made Thea happy and it had been very profitable so far, so why not ? Thea's family was still available to help her financially should the need arise but so far she had been doing more than alright as indicated. In any case, she also visited them in Vienna regularly.

Overall, the place was quite cozy. After resting for some time, Neri said that she had to go walk outside a bit to go look for her "friend", leaving her belongings in Thea's care. Thea understood and started to cook some food for Neri so that could eat when she returns, which Neri deeply thanked her for.

Once outside, Neri walked around the city a bit, not exactly sure of where to go. She had heard from those two strange individuals that "Ezio, Antonio and the others" were out of town, and assuming those were the ones she was looking for, that meant that looking for Antonio de Magianis at the San Polo district might be pointless and that she would be staying in Venice longer than expected, which might give her the time to elucidate the murder mystery she had unexpectedly come across in this city. As she had told Thea, she felt there was something far more ominous about this affair than there usually is about unsolved murders.

Did the killer eliminate those people out of rightful revenge like her ? Was it just for fun ? Something else ? And perhaps more importantly, why did that courtesan and other man seem so overly concerned about Ignazio's death to the point of mentioning Ezio (assuming it was the one Neri knew) ? Does Ignazio have any links with Ezio and his associates ? What was really going on around here ? Neri kept pondering over all of these things.

The gruesome murders reminded her of her own actions. While she absolutely did not regret killing and humiliating Alfonso and the others as she thought they fully deserved such punishment for their actions, she believed that she had to be careful and not let her anger overwhelm her in the future, especially the day she confronts Ezio or on the day she exacts revenge on Lorenzo himself. She had to keep that in mind, especially with someone as skilled as Ezio as it might cost her her life if she were to fight him and lose focus due to her rage.

She kept walking and walking, asking herself so many questions and playing a multitude of scenarios in her head, when she suddenly came across someone familiar : It was the courtesan from hours ago, the one who talked about Ezio. The woman also recognized her by the look of it but before Neri could utter a word, the courtesan did.

"You there!" The courtesan asked upon seeing Neri

"Yes?"

"I've seen you before. You were the one who inspected that corpse a few hours ago and showed the piece of paper to one of the guards, isn't that correct ?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why did you do it ?"

"Uh….I just happened to notice that there was something hanging out of his pocket, and was curious to know more."

"I see." The courtesan answered but she was looking at Neri very suspiciously for some reason and she looked at her intensely and in silence for a few more seconds.

Neri then broke the silence "Well, there was something I wished to ask you as well."

"What is it ?"

"I heard you mention someone called Ezio back then. And implied that he was away with a man named Antonio. Were you referring to Ezio Auditore ? He should be around 23 years old at the moment"

"Yes, that's the one. But how did you know ?" The courtesan asked surprised

"I am an old friend of Ezio and I was told I could find him here in Venice and that another man called Antonio de Magianis was one of his contacts. I suppose that's the Antonio you were referring to as well ?"

"Yes that's him."

"So, as I understand they are out of town at the moment, right ? Would it be possible to tell me where they are ? There is something me and Ezio must discuss."

"I'm sorry but I cannot disclose this information. However, what I can tell you is that he will probably not be back in Venice until around 50 days, though my associates and I are hoping that it will be quicker than that. I'm Marta Campi by the way and you are?"

"Nerissa Mancini." Neri said still using her alias

"Alright. In around 50 days or so, go to the Rosa della Virtu in the Dorssoduro district of the city and ask for me there, and then after verifying some things, me and other individuals, I will lead you to Antonio and Ezio in the San Polo district."

"Very well, thank you." Neri said before departing.

So, Ezio won't be here for a while, which could give her the time to try to solve the murder mystery and also write to Madeleine and Camille.

Back at Thea's house, near the fireplace, in Thea's "living room' upstairs, she was reading a book when she saw Neri return.

"Hey Neri ! So how did it go ? Did you see your friend ?" She asked

"Well...I was told he wasn't here and wouldn't be back for around a month and a half or so, so I will be staying in Venice longer."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, it's fine. Plus I can get to focus on our little mystery to pass the time."

"Yeah, that's also what I was about to suggest."

"So since I'll be staying longer, I think I should really give you some form of compensation, I don't feel comfortable staying here for free like that." Neri remarked

"Oh no it's fine. 1 month and a half or so isn't that big of a deal for me, you don't need to pay for anything, it would probably be better for you to save some money instead since you weren't supposed to stay this long. I owe you a lot for my necklace, plus I already told you, one does not always meet a person like you, I think it would be nice to have more company. I guess, you could always help out with errands and things of the sort if you'd like. Always nice to have an extra hand" Thea said with a smile

"I understand. I'll definitely help you with tasks whenever you want."

"Great! By the way I left some food for you as promised, it's in the other room right over there."

"Thank you Thea."

The following day, Neri helped Thea around the house regarding a variety of things..

Then after that Thea gave Neri an official city tour. They saw many key places such as the Ponte di Rialto, The Basilica dei Frari and the Campanile San Marco. From the way she was describing those places, Neri could see that Thea was deeply in love with this city, which managed to make her smile as she saw Thea going on and on about Venice's landmarks in an overly excited manner. Then they sat down on a bench somewhere and talked a bit about many topics, then the subject of Neri's family came up.

Neri simply said that when she was 11, her parents and little brother were killed and she went to live in Paris with her aunt and cousin, without giving the specifics and Thea also did not ask further though she comforted her for her loss and since Thea had been so kind and hospitable to her, Neri was planning on telling her the full truth about her past when they got back home, she would have hated to hide something this big to someone who had treated her this well thus far.

When they were on their way back to the house, they once again came across a crowd of people and they looked at each other. Without saying a word, it's almost as if they could read each other's thoughts in that moment, they were thinking internally "Is it another murder ?"

They ran towards the crowd and they were right, the killer had made another victim, but this time with an odd twist for Neri.

"But, that's…." Neri stated quietly, too shocked to immediately finish her sentence

This time, the victim on the ground was Marta, the woman Neri had talked to, about Ezio. Her belly was opened and her guts spilled out, the view was horrifying.

"I saw this woman the other day, and we spoke for a few minutes." Neri whispered to Thea

"You did ?" Thea asked

"Yeah, I'll give you the details when we get home."

"Right"

There was also a carving on her left arm, this time, instead of "LIES", we could read "DECEPTION" on Marta's arm.

There was a guard in front of them and Neri noticed that he was holding a piece of paper. Neri then advanced slightly and she was able to read what was on it, it seemed to be another riddle from the killer with the answer also provided : " _What happens when you spend too much time refining the outside ?-You lose the essential elements from the inside"_

Elements from the inside ? With her guts spilled out ? Was this some kind of sick joke ? What was the killer trying to say here ? Neri wasn't sure about that but one thing was for certain, Marta freaking out about the death of Ignazio Contarini and hoping that Ezio comes back soon is a clear indication that Ezio and his associates seem to be somewhat targeted by this mystery killer as Marta herself is now dead. But why was the killer targeting them ? Neri didn't know but now she was itching to find an answer.

When they got back home, Neri decided to tell Thea the truth about her past, not just for the reasons already mentioned previously, but also because, if they were to investigate the murders, she had to reveal that there seemed to be links between Ignazio, Marta and her "friend" (Ezio), and so she did.

In Thea's room, Neri sat Thea down and revealed everything to her : her last name being Pazzi and her family's ordeal during the incident of 1483, her moving to Paris to live with her aunt and cousin, her mark and the book, being trained in combat, climbing and acrobatics, returning to Florence and getting revenge recently, who her "friend" really was and why she was here, the links between him and the victims….all of it

It took around an hour and a few tears for Neri to reveal the truth. Thea was astonished but mainly heartbroken at Neri's story.

"I'm so sorry….." Thea said with a comforting tone once Neri was done

"It's alright, it's gotten easier to cope with it, but sometimes I still get a bit overwhelmed, especially at night sometimes."

"I understand, Neri." Thea said putting her hand on Neri's shoulder

Thea then took a look at Neri's palm, specifically her mark and said "Well, though I said you were very special, I definitely did not expect it to be to such an extent", referring to the truth about her mark and the powers that came with it.

"Yeah, that's for sure. This mark and the powers it gave me, as well as the way they feel seem right out of a children's book." Neri said ironically

"I have no doubt." Thea said.

"So, as I said before, Ezio seems to be connected to the individuals that are being targeted by the killer, why do you think that is ? And those riddles, there's clearly some sort of message the killer is trying to transmit." Neri remarked

"Yeah, there's definitely a big message. I'm not sure about the riddles' meanings themselves but we have time to think about it. Let's say we start working on it after dinner ?" Thea said

"Fine by me! We'll need all the energy we can get for this." Neri answered

"Great!" Thea said in response.

Over the next few days, the two girls spent a lot of time theorizing and analyzing all the clues they had on their hands. Thea particularly put a huge amount of effort in the task, even more than Neri had initially expected. Neri also wrote to Madeleine and Camille (a letter written in code already agreed upon between Neri and her family), informing them of everything that had happened since and sent back some of the profit made off of the merchandise she had sold back in Florence for Madeleine while keeping some for herself as Madeleine had told her. She also let them know, they could write back at her to this address as she would be staying here for some time.

Despite discussing many possibilities regarding the identity and motives of the killer, they did not make any significant advancement in their investigation.

Then one day during the afternoon, Neri was taking a walk outside alone and came across someone interesting. It was the man that was with Marta in the crowd, the day Neri and Thea arrived in Venice and just like his now deceased associate, he indicated that he wanted to talk to her as soon as he recognized her. He looked very stressed out.

"You were there in that crowd the other day when that man was killed weren't you ? I was also told that you met Marta some time before she was murdered and that you were looking for Ezio. "

"Yes, that's correct."

"Do you know something about her death ? Is there any extra information you can give me regarding what has been going on ?"

"I'm afraid not, sir." Neri answered

"I see." The man said, looking to the left and to the right, seeming even more anxious.

As the man was about to turn back and leave, his pouch fell on the ground. He didn't notice it at first so he kept walking but then and in a split second Neri got a genius idea. She activated her mark and grabbed the pouch on the ground and held it in her hand for a few seconds. As shown many years ago at the event and with the Isu book , Neri could track far away objects that she had been in contact with for some time, however over time , she noticed that the more she used her mark, the less time was needed for contact between her and in the object in question.

Years ago, she would have needed to be in contact with an object with a bit more time to be able to later track it, but now, she only needed to be in contact with one for a few seconds. Therefore, Neri holding the man's pouch and returning it to him would allow her to later track this man's movements much later, since he was close to Marta, she believes that this might allow her to make good progress on the investigation.

"Excuse me, sir ? I think you dropped this." Neri remarked upon handing the pouch back to the man.

"Thank you miss." He said, before quickly leaving, still as stressed as ever

Later, when she got back to the house, she went to the living room and told her about what happened.

"Wow good job Neri, that was a brilliant idea. So when do you think of tracking this man and get some more info ?" Thea asked

"I was thinking tomorrow night would be good." Neri answered

"Great. Then I'll stay here and keep working on our case while you're away." Thea said

"Understood. You look exhausted though, you should get some rest."

"I know, I worked on this almost all day, but I'm really really invested in this and I deeply want to know who is behind those deaths, I-"

"I know Thea and I do too, but you should definitely not overwork yourself over this. Here, let me take you to your room. I think a good nap might do you some good." Neri said with a smile, while taking Thea's arm to help her walk.

Thea indeed looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment and let Neri guide her to her bed so that she could get some rest.

However a few minutes later, after leaving the room, Neri started asking herself some questions. While Thea had already told her how passionate she was about mysteries, and Neri appreciated it but after seeing Thea like this, she felt like something wasn't right. Thea's dedication and investment over solving these crimes seemed a bit too high, even for someone with a huge interest in these things, to the point that was apparently exhausting herself over it as she now almost did.

Neri was interested in it of course, due to the strange and theatrical nature of the acts and the links with Ezio, her old acquaintance. But what about Thea ? Was it only about her passion but was there something more ? Was Thea hiding something from her ? Was there something she wasn't telling her ? Neri wasn't sure how to bring that up specifically, but she had to keep those things in mind.

The next day at around 9 pm, Neri was getting ready to move out. She checked with her mark the location of the pouch and was able to visualize it. She therefore put on her hooded black cloak over her main outfit, put on her face mask and took her weapons.

"Good luck Neri!" Thea told her

"Thank you Thea, I can't wait to share what I find with you."

"Yeah, looking forward to it."

Once outside, Neri activated her mark and "eagle vision" and let herself be guided towards the location of the pouch. She traveled by rooftops and after around 30 minutes, she arrived at her location. She was still on the rooftops and right below her, she could see the man with the pouch from yesterday , talking to another courtesan. Neri took care of hiding behind a rooftop chimney, so the two of them could not notice her looking at them from above just by raising their head, but Neri was obviously still able to listen to what they were saying.

"-This has been a difficult situation for all of us but I have a letter I just wrote here intended for Mario to inform him of the situation and I am just about to go and give it to Alfredo in order to have it delivered" The man said

"Very well, go quickly. The sooner Mario receives it, the better." The woman told him

"Alright then, see you later" The man said

The two then went their separate ways but Neri continued to tail the man. If she could somehow manage to stealthily get her hands on that letter at an opportune moment, she might discover a lot of things regarding the links that Ezio's associates have with the secret killer.

Neri continued to follow by rooftops and once the man arrived at his destination, he handed over the letter to another man, which Neri continued to follow as well. Then the 2nd man arrived at the letter delivering service and once there, he was instructed to put the letter in a cart.

The thing is, the cart contained a ton of letters, so if just one letter was to disappear, barely anyone would notice. As a reminder, outside of Neri's special secondary ability which allows her to track far very away objects she was been in contact in the past, her basic eagle vision allows her to mark either living beings or objects with a glowing yellow tint that would stay on them in order not to lose them while following or tracking them, as long as she maintains a reasonable distance from said object or person.

Whereas there is no distance limit when it comes to her special ability, which is why she could locate the book in Naples back when she was in Paris, thus from an extremely large distance. The only thing is that on top of the necessary previous physical contact , her special ability doesn't work on living beings but only objects or other items.

Therefore, before the 2nd man put the letter in the cart, Neri was able to mark the letter with the yellow tint, otherwise, she could have easily lost it among the other billion letters in the carriage.

Neri was still on the rooftops. The 2nd man left and there was only one guy in charge of the cart and no one else around. The letter was still glowing. Then, as she was still observing the situation and thinking of a way to get her hands on the letter, a few minutes later, the man that was supposed to look after the cart, went away temporarily, and Neri immediately seized the opportunity. She went down, advanced towards the cart, took the letter, and immediately went away and climbed back on the rooftops. No one would notice anything. She put the letter in her pocket and journeyed back towards Thea's house.

Once back at the house, she opened the letter and tried to start reading. It was written in code, obviously, and thus Neri activated her eagle vision so that could decipher it, she thus started to read :

" _Maestro Auditore, it seems many of our allies and some in our order itself are being targeted by someone who could very well be a templar agent, but we are not certain about who it is and without Ezio and all the others we're in a truly bad position here. Manfredo Albertini, Ignazio Contarini and Marta Campi have all been killed in a very gruesome way. The killer could be the templar spy that was exposed some time ago within our order but who managed to flee. He was from Venice after all and he had the time to gather information about us, especially our dealings with our associates in the city._

_I pray your nephew Ezio and the others come back soon otherwise If this continues we could very well lose the influence in the city we tried so hard to gain. As Antonio isn't here I am afraid I might be a target as I am the second highest ranked member of the thieves guild in Venice after him. Then again the killer might just target anyone of us, who really knows. We're thinking of a plan that involves baiting the killer, we'll put it in place in 3 days at around 10 pm, so we could possibly have already captured the killer when this letter reaches you but it would be nice if you could send some reinforcements just in case, we never know. This situation is as stressful as the Carnicelli affair. Hoping to deliver better news in the future. Ugo."_

Hold on a second. Templar agent ? As in the Knights Templars ? The order supposed to have gone extinct back in 1314 ? Neri knew there were many rumors about their supposed survival but still, she did not expect to read about them in that letter. However, this letter indeed 100% confirmed that Ezio was aligned with the victims and the killer was carefully selecting his targets.

Also, it revealed that a man named Mario Audtiore, ("Mario" being the man Ugo the writer of the letter said the letter was intended to), was apparently Ezio's uncle and that Ezio's entire entourage was part of some sort of organization that seemed opposed to the "Templars", whoever they might be in this day and age, but what organization was Ezio a part of and what were they goals ? And what was "The Carnicelli affair ?" Whatever the answers were, Ezio and his groups seemed to have some serious influence in the city and Neri had to find out exactly what the nature of that organization was.

Neri then ran to Thea to let her know what she had discovered, however she found Thea was asleep on her desk. Not wanting to wake her up, Neri simply went back to her room to get some rest. She would tell Thea about everything in the morning.

The next day, Thea was updated on the situation and was astonished by the news.

"Wow, that's unbelievable. Knights Templars ? Now I was not expecting that at all." Thea said

"I feel exactly the same. It's quite extraordinary. It also seems like there is far more to Ezio's actions than I previously thought." Neri answered

"And apparently, Ezio's group think that a former spy within their ranks could be our mystery murderer uh ? That makes me even more eager to get the killer's identity, we could learn far more than we previously believed about Ezio and his associates if we could somehow manage to capture and question that killer. Easier said than done though, obviously" Thea said

"Yeah if it is indeed someone from that Templar group mentioned in the letter, then maybe it implies that the reasons for the murders are not just personal but also somewhat ideological, maybe ?" Neri asked

"That's possible."

."I think….I've just realized something." Thea continued

"What do you mean ?" Neri asked

"It's about Ignazio Contarini. I wasn't in Venice at the time but I remember being later told that in September of 1485, The Doge Giovanni Mocenigo died and he was succeeded in the position by a man called Marco Barbarigo who then also died less than a year after his appointment, in August of 1486. Marco was then replaced as Doge by his brother, Agostino Barbarigo and Ignazio entered the council of ten and became highly influential in the government, under Agostino's rule.

The problem is, it was said that Mocenigo and Marco Barbarigo both died in highly suspicious ways and many suspected that they were even assassinated, maybe by political rivals, rumors that persist to this day, especially when you know that Agostino did not get along very well with Marco despite being siblings and i had heard that the two fought very frequently over many things. So, since in the riddle that the killer left on the scene, he mentioned that a knife was the fastest way to get rid of strings, maybe he meant that Ignazio was a puppet, manipulated and used by Ezio's organization for their agenda and that by eliminating him, the killer cut and forever severed those strings. This might also explain the carving on Ignazio's arm that talked about lies. If Ignazio is indeed a puppet, then whoever killed him, was opposed to his role in governmental affairs and possibly on lies he was telling the public in order to help further said agenda.

So since Ignazio was clearly aligned with them and entered the council of ten under the current Doge Agostino, that probably also means that Agostino is somehow aligned with Ezio's group as well and that Ezio's organization might be behind the death of the previous Doge Marco Barbarigo who was Agostino's rival. That's how I see things."

"Wow, you're a genius Thea ! , yeah that totally makes sense!" Neri said in an excited tone

"Thanks! However, It's likely that at the same time, those templars might have also killed Doge Mocenigo for their own reasons and put in Marco, which then probably led to a retaliation from the other side with the death of Marco who was then replaced by Agostino as Doge, someone he clearly did not get along with as I said before. It seems like there was a huge power struggle between these templars and Ezio's team at the highest levels of society but in relatively plain sight. I mean, just the fact that the templars would be willing to send a spy over to Ezio's crew shows us how serious this thing was." Thea answered

"Yeah that's very true. You know it's funny. Back when I was Constantinople in 1485, I heard two italian men discuss the mysterious death of a powerful merchant named Emilio Barbarigo, who was assassinated in his palazzo and they also mentioned that just days after, Doce Mocenigo had died. Just like you, they said that the death of Mocenigo was very suspicious and they even added that there could have been a link between Emilio's and Mocenigo's death." Neri indicated

"True, I had later heard about the death of Emilio as well. Interestingly enough, he was very close with his cousin Marco but not with his other cousin, the current Doge Agostino. I wouldn't be surprised if Emilio's strange death was related to those two groups as well." Thea responded

"I see. But then I wonder. What was the murder of Marta supposed to indicate then ? He carved DECEPTION on her arm and talked about how refining the outside might make someone lose the important elements from the inside. Her belly was cut open and her guts were spilled out." Neri asked

"Hmmm" Thea said pensively

"I mean, she was a courtesan, maybe the killer was denouncing her deceiving people for intel that would help her organization or something ? I mean it's not unusual for powerful men to go to courtesan establishments, let themselves go and slip up on certain things while they're being…..entertained if you can put it that way. I guess that's what refining the outside means ? Constantly presenting herself in a particular way that does not match her true intentions. Not really sure on that front." Neri noted

"Hmm, maybe. I can see that." Thea answered

"Though all of these clues help make the killer's motivations a lot clearer, it doesn't exactly explain why he even left the clues in the first place, does it ? Is he voluntarily provoking Ezio and his team by being arrogant and defiant ?" Neri asked

"I really don't know, it is very curious though."

"Well, in any case, I'm glad we have made so much progress on this affair. Since I can still track Ugo's pouch with my mark and they said that in 3 days, they would try to bait the killer into attacking them so that they could capture him. Let's say we track them at the date and around hour indicated and see how things play out ?" Neri said

"Yeah, you can count on me to accompany you." Thea answered enthusiastically

"Thank you so much Thea."

"Neri ?"

"Yes ?"

"There's something I have to say to you."

"What is it ?"

"Well, remember how I told you that I have been fascinated by mysteries for a while, when we met in Ravenna ? I never exactly told you where that fascination came from did I ?"

"No you didn't. In fact I had been wondering and been worried about that lately with how much effort you put into solving this case. It seems like you were losing sleep over it"

"Well, It's about my father really."

"How so ?"

"I lost my father when I was 14, around 5 years ago now. He had to travel to Castile (Spain) for work related reasons but things didn't go as planned.

His body was found in an alley there and brought back to me and the rest of my family but we never knew who killed him and his death has remained a complete mystery to us. Before leaving for Castile, he gave me the necklace as a gift and back then I just thought it looked pretty and was super happy to have it, but now with what happened, the necklace simply reminds me of him and all of the good moments we had together. Losing him was one thing, but never knowing who had killed him or why, was even more traumatizing.

Thus, since then, solving mysteries and enigmas have become a passion for me, because in a way, it helps me cope with the fact that I'll probably never know the truth behind my own father's death. and if I can't find the answers to that question then maybe solving other mysteries for the greater good in order to help others or doing it to make interesting discoveries, like the stone I found, would be fine by me. It know it sounds weird but-"

"No Thea, it doesn't, I get it. I'm really sorry about what happened, how you must have suffered. You had already told me that the necklace meant a lot to you, now I truly get the scope of it."

"Thanks again for your help Neri, I'll never forget what you did."

"You're welcome." Neri said before giving Thea a big hug

 **Author's note** : This was quite a difficult one to write. Please let me know what you think. I can assure you that you're not ready for the next chapter :)


	12. Chapter 12

_**Venice, May 1491** _

3 days had passed since Neri and Thea's productive and heartfelt discussion and now, they were only a few hours away from leaving the house and observing the possible confrontation being Ugo's team and the killer. Upon later reflecting on Thea's words regarding what was probably going on with the murders and possible assassinations in Venice these past few years, she started wondering : If Ezio was still close with Lorenzo even at this time, does that mean that Lorenzo is also involved in the curious intrigues that have plagued Venice in recent years as well ? It's not outside the realm of possibility to think he would at the very least know about them. And why was Ezio even in Venice ? Why did he seemingly join this strange organization?

Back in Paris, she had started to strongly suspect that her uncle Francesco and her cousin Vieri, were somehow involved in the deaths of Ezio's family members. Alfonso told her directly that Ezio was the one to kill them when she was in prison with Raphaelle and Marco, so it seemed quite likely that was a cause for retaliation from him, something she could understand and would not really blame him for.

However that alone did not explain the whole story and especially not how Ezio had come to find himself involved in such seemingly dirty affairs and in an important but relatively secret power struggle in the Venetian government. Though it is clear that Lorenzo and Ezio had common enemies in Francesco, Vieri and their open supporters, she still had a hard time understanding the fact that Ezio would openly join forces against someone like Lorenzo who directly punished innocents like herself and her family simply because they happened to be related to individuals who attacked him that day in 1483. Why would he keep supporting Lorenzo to this day ?.

From the interactions that they had had together, the things she had heard about him and the things she had seen, this wasn't the kind of thing she thought Ezio would accept. She had to learn more and she believed that there was a chance she could get important answers on parts of these questions this coming night.

Eventually the time to move out came. Ugo was hoping to attract the killer at around 10 pm, so Neri and Thea decided to leave the house at around 8:45 pm in order to be safe and not miss anything. Both girls then took their weapons and cloaks and were about to leave and they were also wearing mouth-covering masks as well.

"I'm really curious to see what plan they have in mind to drag him out of his cave, the killer could very well not even show up, don't you think Neri ?"

"Yeah I wonder about that too. In the letter, they seemed confident that this plan could work and they could even capture the killer today, so we'll see."

"Yeah, I hope something big happens."

"Same. Alright, are you ready for this Thea ?"

"I was born ready. Let's go."

Meanwhile, near the church Santa Maria dei Frari, Ugo and his team were getting ready and Ugo himself would be the bait. 5 armed individuals from Ugo's faction were instructed to hide at various places very close to the church. Some hid in nearby haystacks and would wait for a signal, others in nearby bushes and a few would simply try to use the darkness of the night to hide their presence around the designated zone of operation, all of these would make it look like Ugo was relatively isolated and then ripe for the kill. Outside of them, there was barely anyone else nearby, which was perfect for Ugo's plan, who thought that he would really have the element of surprise on his side if the killer were to strike..

Since they had discovered that the previous victims had been reported missing at a moment when they should have been relatively isolated and at night before their carved bodies were actually discovered by the public and the authorities, Ugo was hoping that they would be successful in their maneuver.

After some time, Neri and Thea were closing in on Ugo's location indicated by Neri's mark, though they were advancing slowly by foot and on the ground (not by rooftops) and they ultimately found themselves behind the building that was facing the church, obviously meaning that Ugo couldn't see them there. Neri had her eagle vision activated at all times and she noticed the various hiding spots of 5 other individuals, which she quickly and rightfully deduced were Ugo's acolytes however they were not very spread out at all, as they wanted to be not too far away from Ugo in order not to give the killer a chance to escape in case of attack. Therefore, all of the hidden individuals as well as Ugo himself were in a position facing the building that Neri and Thea were behind, explaining why none of Ugo's men could see Neri coming from the direction that she took..

However, Neri noticed a perfect hiding spot in order to observe the situation for Thea and herself. This was a huge struck of luck. On the building facing the church, Neri could see with her eagle vision that there was a huge haystack on the rooftops of said building, large enough for two individuals to hide within. Neri then told Thea that they should discreetly climb up, hide in the haystack, and wait for a possible attack and Thea agreed with her plan.

Neri and Thea then climbed slowly and surely, but in order not to attract attention, once they were up, they wouldn't walk to the haystack, but instead crawl their way towards it, belly against the rooftop, which wasn't the most pleasing of experiences, but it was necessary. And it worked beautifully, they took their positions in the haystack on the rooftop. And since Neri with her eagle vision could see through it, it would allow them to monitor the situation with ease.

"Ok Thea, now we just have to wait and see if something happens, I'll let you know if I spot something with my vision." Neri whispered

"Alright, fingers crossed." Thea whispered back.

And then everyone waited, waited and waited for around an hour, but it looked like nothing was going to happen and the two girls were getting slightly impatient and staying in their current positions was getting tiresome.

And then, another hour and 50 minutes passed and it was getting really unbearable for all those waiting for something to happen. Neri's body was starting to hurt a bit after staying in that position for so long and the same could be said for Thea.

Eventually, thinking that his men might lose focus and that he himself might look suspicious to the killer if this were to continue, Ugo called off the operation and ordered his men to come out, thinking they could have another shot at him later with another plan and maybe with the help of the reinforcements he had requested (not knowing his letter never reached Mario), he could at least organize a more effective defense that would at least scare off the killer until Ezio and the others were to return.

Ugo then ordered his men to come out of their hiding spot.

"Thea, they're coming out, seems like they're getting tired of waiting"

"Yeah, that's understandable, wonder what they're gonna do now."

"Apologies everyone but it looks like this rat won't come out tonight. Once we get back, we'll let everyone at the base know what happened or I guess what didn't happen tonight and we'll discuss something else when it comes to solving our problem here." Ugo said

"Right sir." One of them said.

However, they spent around 20 more minutes standing around and engaged in discussion. However, as they were right in front of the church and about to leave, a figure with black robes, a hood of the same colour and a leather mask with the eyes visible, suddenly landed in the middle of Ugo and his team after jumping from the church's rooftop.

"NO-" Ugo barely had the time to finish his sentence whereas the rest of his team was too shocked to even begin one. They had let their guard down and did not notice this ominous presence in time and now they would pay the price for it.

Neri, who was too focused on Ugo specifically, did not initially notice the figure that was ironically also crawling on the rooftop of the church, and who was therefore right above Ugo She only noticed it right before the individual jumped and alerted Thea.

"The killer's here!"

"Are you sure ?!"

"Yes, I think so, a man in a mask and black robes just jumped right in front of them. I'm marking that person now with my vision so that we don't lose track in case of attempted escape."

Right as the dark figure landed, a smoke bomb was also dropped on the ground, adding tremendously to the level of panic and confusion among Ugo's men.

When the smoke cleared, all 5 of Ugo's men were dead on the ground, the killer had very quickly eliminated them in the confusion and the killer had firmly grabbed Ugo's throat before taunting him in a sarcastic tone : "The element of surprise, can be fatal, don't you think, Ugo ?"

Neri could see the person's face well enough through the mask with her eagle vision to tell that it was a man, though the face itself wasn't familiar..

However, Ugo could barely speak with the killer choking him with his left hand.

"Your biggest mistake was to assume that I needed you alone in order to get rid of you and that I wouldn't be flexible in my methods." The killer seemed like he was intentionally putting on a voice, at least that's how it sounded to Ugo.

After those words, he stabbed Ugo in the head with a knife and then in the neck, ending his life.

"He killed them Thea!. They're all dead!" Neri said

"What ? Should we come out now ?"

"No, wait a second."

He then stood around a bit, looking at Ugo's dead body without carving it or leaving a note of any kind, and then started to climb up on the church's rooftop in order to quickly leave the area.

"The killer's getting away Thea, let's move!"

"Right!"

The two girls then quickly got out of the haystack and started tailing the individual, on the rooftops, who did not really bother to look behind him and was strictly focused on advancing towards a destination that was yet unknown to Neri and Thea.

After around 15 minutes of stealthy pursuit, Neri and Thea's target got down the rooftop and finally landed. Neri could now see that he was now in front of a strange circular-shaped entrance at the very bottom of a seemingly abandoned building.

"He stopped. Seems like that's his final destination." Neri whispered to Thea, while the two were hidden behind a large chimney construct on a rooftop directly facing their target but with only Neri able to see through the chimney in order to observe the killer's movements..

He then slightly knelt with the left foot, kicked the circular entrance with the right foot and then got through it, sliding down to an underground location, which Neri could visualize with her eagle vision activated.

"He got through that entrance and slid down, so he's now underground. I think we can assume that's where his secret lair is, especially since this building appears to be abandoned in the conventional sense"

"I see. so, shall we go inside Neri ?"

"When looking through the walls with my vision, I don't see anyone else inside, that person is alone, but let's wait 10 minutes before going in, okay ?"

"Right! Even if we get him, we're not even sure he will reveal anything though.

"I know, but we don't have a choice, we might still learn something crucial in there so we have to try at least."

When the time came, the girls came down, got through the entrance, slid down for a few seconds. They were now in some sort of underground cave and they were advancing towards the killer's position. After a short series of free running challenges in the cave, Neri and Thea found themselves in front of a door, the only thing now separating them from the mysterious killer.

Neri and Thea looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. They then both drew out their swords in defensive posture and opened the door, with Neri in front of Thea.

The strange man who was in front of a table and still had his mask on, immediately heard the door cracking and turned around with his eyes landing on Neri and Thea.

"Well, well, well. I did not expect anyone to find this place this soon." He said upon seeing them. He also noticed that Neri had a very protective stance over Thea.

"Who are you ? And why have you been committing these murders ? What exactly are you after ?" Neri asked

"If you're here this quickly and are asking these questions, I suspect you must have followed me almost immediately after I got rid of those men tonight. Are you in leagues with them? If so, why weren't you among that group?" He asked coldly

Neri could now very clearly see the man's face under the mask with her powers but he still wasn't someone she recognized, which she never really expected to anyway. He looked like a man in his mid 20s.

"No, we are not part of them and not affiliated in any way. But we do know that something bigger is at play here. We have conducted our own separate and secret investigation, and even secretly got our hands on a letter that one of the men you killed intended to deliver to someone else. Are you the so-called templar agent Ugo and his group mentioned ? Whatever the word templar is even supposed to mean in this day and age. In any case, Ugo's team as well as those Templars appear to be very shady organizations" Neri said.

"Shady organizations ? I see, now that's interesting. And what do you actually know of these Templars if I may ask ?" He then asked from a much more relaxed tone

"The only kind of Templars we know about were supposed to have gone extinct back in 1314, outside of rumors." Neri said from a firm tone not wanting to give him a lecture.

"Ah, I see. You two are THAT clueless when it comes to this. Yet you've managed to find this place and gather crucial and sizable information about this, despite not fully understanding them. I must admit I am impressed, I even really admire that. In that case, let me propose something."

"What is it ?" Neri asked

"You with the blonde hair, You seem really determined. If you can manage to disarm me or knock me out in combat, I will gladly answer each and every one of your questions afterwards. Anything you want to ask. It's answers you're after, are you not ?"

Neri then immediately turned to Thea and gave her a very worried look and then turned back to the man.

"And…..if I die in battle, what are you going to do to my friend ?" Neri asked

"Nothing. I'll let her go." he answered

"And why would you do that ? Why would you propose such a thing?" Neri asked, surprised and unsure of his intentions.

"Because it appears you haven't been corrupted yet and something good might possibly come out of this. Had you turned out to be one of THEM, I would have kept my most sensitive secrets with me regardless, so I'm actually giving you a chance."

"What do you mean ?" Neri asked

"Enough talking for now, shall we begin ?" He asked upon drawing his sword.

Neri turned to Thea once again, however Thea tried to reassure her and thus told her : "It's alright, I know this how much this means to you. I wish there was another way but if that's how we can make him talk, you have to take that chance. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Neri then nodded, though it was clear that she had doubts about this. Thea was really touched that the first thing Neri thought about was her (Thea's) own safety before anything else after hearing what the man had to say..

"Be careful." Thea said, before moving aside.

Both combattants got into position, and the fight began. Neri struck first, though not with her sword but with a circular kick with her right foot. However, the man quickly crouched, dodging her move, got back up and smacked her in the face with his left foot in a very violent manner, causing Neri to fall. This clearly wasn't going to be a walk in the park like with Alfonso, this man seemed to be on a totally different level.

Neri's mouth had blood on the left side but she wiped it and very quickly got back up, and Thea looked more and more anxious. She then got into position just in time to block a sword assault from the man. The fight then got a bit fast-spaced. Over the next minute, they exchanged several blows before the man dodged one of her attacks and elbowed her in the stomach, but thankfully, right as he was about to land an attack of his own with his sword, Neri managed to block it with her sword in her right hand at the last moment.

The man then tried to kick her legs and cause her to fall, but Neri was able to jump over it rapidly, therefore quickly dodging that move as well. Though she was holding her own very well, Neri was obviously struggling and in the next 4 minutes, she hadn't really been able to gain the upper hand on her opponent and she was getting really frustrated.

The two fighters exchanged many more blows for a few more minutes but with no definitive result though the man managed to inflict a small wound on Neri's left arm.

After that, Neri launched a series of fast, extremely aggressive but well placed attacks that the man now had a lot of trouble containing and was thus forced to constantly move backwards to better block Neri's attacks.

However,that was what she was hoping for, as behind him, there was some sort of cell and wanted to force him into a specific position, though these assaults were also very physically taxing for herself and she would not be able to keep them up for too long, so she had to be very careful otherwise, she might leave herself opened to devastating counter attacks.

Thankfully, her plan worked, once he got close enough to the cell's bars, she feinted an attack with her sword, and as soon as he was distracted, quickly grabbed his head and bashed it against the bars, knocking him out.

"Good job Neri, you did it!" Thea said, relieved, immediately going to her side

"Yeah." Neri said back before, falling to her knees. This had been a hard fight and she was now heavily exhausted, had her plan failed, who knows what might have happened.

But she had noticed a key on a table next to the cell and deduced it might be the key to said cell. After looking with her eagle vision whether the man had more weapons on him and when she saw them, she instructed Thea to remove those weapons after being told where to look and to put the man in the cell and try to lock it using that key, which proved to be the right one.

However, they didn't remove the mask, as Neri told Thea his face wasn't familiar anyway while she saw it with her vision and that he would be answering their questions when he wakes up.

"Now, we...just….have to wait." Neri said, the exhaustion still audible in her voice

"Yeah, let's hope we get the answers we're looking for."

After around an hour and a half, the man woke up in the cell, first holding his head in pain and saying

"Well miss, looks like you won the battle, you fought very well. So, what exactly would you like to know ?"

"Who exactly are you and what are you after ? What do you know of Ezio Auditore ? Why are we hearing talks of templars in this day and age ? And who exactly are Ugo and his group ?"

"First, my name is Alessandro Carnicelli." He said, upon removing his mask.

Carnicelli was the name mentioned in Ugo's letter that talked about the "Carnicelli affair.", therefore this immediately caught Neri and Thea's attention.

"Carnicelli you said ? Ugo mentioned that name in that letter, associating it to an affair or incident he claims had caused his group a lot of stress in the past. I suppose it might have something to do with you, however, they seem to believe that you are from that Templar organization and are someone that used to spy on them before, but had managed to escape." Neri remarked

"I see, so my plan had been working perfectly on that front then, if that was truly the person that they were suspecting. No, I am no Templar, in fact, I was born and raised in the small town of Monteriggioni, in a centuries old secret organization known as the Assassin order, an organization opposed to those Templars. The Assassins, that is the group Ugo and his friends are part of, and I knew Ezio Audtiore far too well. Needless to say though, I stopped being an Assassin sometime ago and for very good reason so I have no affiliation to either organization at the moment."

"You used to be part of Ugo and Ezio's group ? What happened ? And what exactly are the Templars up to ?" Neri asked

"Well, let's start from the beginning, shall we ? I'll tell you my entire story. My father, uncle and aunt all died in a mission for the Assassin order and thus, I was raised by my mother Nella, alongside my brother Simone, and my cousin Pietro. She too had been raised in the order. I was the oldest of the three, being born in 1464 and with Simone and Pietro being respectively, 2 and 4 years younger than me."

He continued: "We trained hard since we were very young in the hope that we would be capable members of the Assassin order in the future. As I indicated before, the Assassin order has existed for centuries, some say it started around 47 BC in Egypt but no one is really sure. The official objective of the organization is to preserve the liberty and free will of humanity. To be the champions of the weak and of the little people against tyrants.

And that is where the Templars come from. From what you told me, you seem to be of the belief that the Templars are just a knightly christian order, created in the early 12th century and that disappeared in 1314, save for rumors maybe. However, the truth is far darker. The Templars have existed almost as long as the Assassins have, and the two were sworn enemies for ideological differences. The knightly order phase of the Templars was merely a ploy for their own agenda, and after 1314, they did not disappear at all, but simply returned underground so to speak.

As the Templars reject the notion of free will, believing most humans to be naturally weak and only capable of chaos if left to their own devices, the Templars believe that absolute control by them, even virtual mass enslavement, is the answer to humanity's problems. And that's how the two organizations have come to oppose each other fiercely. Therefore, from a very young age, I believed that the Assassins were the good guys if you will."

Neri was obviously shocked by the information and simply looked at Thea whose amazement could also be read on her face but the two let Alessandro continue his tale without interrupting.

"Then one day in 1481, a 13 year old boy, accompanied by his mother and sister arrived at Monteriggioni, it was the nephew of the city's ruler and his name was Ezio Auditore. We were told that Ezio's father and brothers had been victims of a conspiracy in which men named Francesco, Jacopo, Renato and Vieri de' Pazzi, that were part of the templar order, were heavily involved in. Ezio was brought up to speed with everything regarding the Assassins and Templars by his uncle Mario, who was the leader of the Assassins and after being trained by his uncle, decided to return to Florence one day and track down the men responsible.

Me, Simone and Pietro, all got along well with Ezio at the beginning, and had sparring sessions together very often. Though, if anyone could be considered Ezio's best friend, it would be Pietro and the two got very close over the years. Interestingly enough, Pietro and Ezio's sister Claudia had even developed feelings for each other over the years, which caused the rest of us to tease Pietro quite a bit.

Then in April of 1483, as Ezio had returned to Florence to get revenge on Francesco, Jacopo, Vieri and Renato, the Pazzi conspiracy took place, Giuliano de Medici was murdered and Lorenzo, who was an ally of the Assassins, almost had the same fate, before being saved by Ezio at the last minute. Ezio killed his original targets save for Jacopo who had escaped but learned in the meantime that some of the other conspirators involved in the plot against the Medici, were also templars involved in his family's ordeal : Antonio Maffei, Stefano da Bagnone, Archbishop Francesco Salviati and Bernardo Baroncelli.

Thus, later, me, my brother and my cousin helped Ezio track down and eliminate the remaining conspirators that were hidden around Tuscany, which earned all four of us a particular nickname within the Assassins: We became known as The Four Guardian Kings of the Assassin Order, as we had also managed to eliminate Templar influence in the entire Tuscan region for the foreseeable future. Though I should mention that Ezio and Pietro were quite stronger in battle than Simone and myself.

After that, Ezio discovered that there were more Templars involved in his family's death but this time in Venice : Marco, Emilio and Silvio Barbarigo among others, and thus he decided to go there and me alongside my brother and cousin would still assist him in many missions within the city, helping him get rid of his targets, notably Marco Barbarigo, though we regularly had to return to Monteriggioni to take care of many things of there.

However, in around 1489, things would start to change. First, after the death of Marco Barbarigo in 1486, his brother and Agostino, who was our ally, would take the mantle of Doge…."

Neri and Thea were listening, astonished by the revelations. It appeared that Thea's theory regarding Marco and Agostino was right on the money but even more than that, Alessandro had just revealed that her two uncles, her great uncle, and her cousin were part of the Templars and in a way it made a lot of sense and might explain the massive antagonism that they had towards the Auditore. And also, since her own father Daniele had a cold relationship with Francesco and the rest, it might explain why Daniele was not included in the secret Templar organization, and why he did not share this original hatred of the Auditore that some of the others did.

Alessandro pursued : "My own mother had started getting doubts and reservations about some of the Assassins' practices, doubts that myself and Simone also started sharing at that time. Though outside of our circle of three doubtful people, Simone was the only one to publicly voice his discontent at some of the order's policies to Mario directly, which caused Simone to have several very heated arguments with Mario and their relationship to get a bit antagonistic. Pietro at that time, did not have any doubts at all though, that would come later.

By using Doge Agostino, as well as a man named Ignazio Contarini, that was part of the council of ten as their puppets, the Assassins implemented harsh and dare I say, excessive measures on the republic of Venice, dramatically raising taxes and excessively using a lot of the city's resources in order to very tightly control the region, sometimes at the expense of the citizens's happiness and prosperity, thus making many of them miserable. Ignazio himself was elected because the Assassins helped rig the elections in his favour.

But Mario and most other Assassin leaders believed it was justified as the city needed to be under Assassin control no matter what he said. And in my head, I started to wonder and look back and everything we had done previously. And then I started thinking of things we hadn't even considered before. Like all the innocents we probably indirectly hurt, those who had gotten caught in the crossfire of the Pazzi conspiracy and suffered reprisals simply for being related to the conspirators. Did any one of us within the Assassins care about those people at the time ? Did we make sure they wouldn't be wrongly punished or that they would be safe ?

Not really. Sadly at the time, eliminating the Templars and countering their influence was all that mattered to us and all we were focused on. I then started to learn more and more about Lorenzo de Medici, our supposed ally, and truly saw for myself that he wasn't that different from the tyrants the Assassins were supposed to fight against, and yet we were allied with him and continued to support such a man. And for what ?

Even worse, around that time, I discovered one of Mario's top secret correspondence, regarding Assassin operations in Genoa around 1483. I learned from that secret letter that Mario and many Assassins leaders and allies in Genoa were directly behind the overthrow of the Doge of Genoa at the time, a man named Battista Fregoso, who wasn't even a Templar or that much of a threat but simply didn't suit their regional interests enough and so they installed their own puppet in his place, all of which I had no idea of, and neither did my mother, Simone or Pietro or even Ezio. The thing is Fregoso very nearly escaped death after being deposed. I discovered that the Assassins' actions in Genoese politics went very far back were ultimately disastrous and had contributed to heavily destabilizing the region for many years, making people's lives unnecessarily harder. So much for free will, liberty and fighting for the people, right ?

I mean, the Templars themselves had gotten rid of Doge Mocenigo who was not an Assassin and replaced him with Marco, just because Mocenigo wasn't good enough for their agenda. How different were we from those Templars really, I started to wonder ? We also try to control the populace in a way through local governments, manipulate elections, overthrow people just because they don't suit us and don't do our bidding and then openly support the tyrants who do suit us, like Lorenzo de Medici for example."

"Battista Fregoso ?" Neri thought internally, she recognized that name. It belonged to that man, she had met with Madeleine at the event in France many years ago (ref. Chapter 5) and he had even mentioned having been recently deposed as Doge of Genoa. These last few reveals also cut deep for Neri on a personal level, as Alessandro brought upon the innocents who suffered from Lorenzo and other people's wrath during the Pazzi conspiracy, something that directly related to her, but she just kept listening.

"And then, we get to the big one, the incident that marked me forever, the famous Carnicelli affair. It was in September of 1490, just last year then. Simone had recently met a woman who he had grown particularly close to. However, another girl in Monteriggioni named Rosanna who had feelings for Simone and thus got extremely jealous of his new relationship, had gotten a perfect two-fold opportunity to get rid of his new woman.

She had regularly and secretly seen the woman in question speak with another man, in an isolated part of Monteriggioni at night and one day, she eavesdropped on her conversation with that man and discovered that both of them were Templar spies. Horrified by this news and hating the woman even more, the next morning, she immediately reported the news to Mario, however, the situation backfired for Rosanna in a way.

The woman was quickly caught and executed, though the man had managed to escape. However, what Rosanna did not predict was that Mario had ordered Simone temporarily imprisoned as well, for suspicion of willingly being in contact with the enemy, that is how he put it. With him possibly even facing execution should there be a need for it after he concludes an investigation as the absolute total worst case scenario, though Mario was really hoping it wouldn't get to that point.

Like I said before, Simone and Mario had had several arguments regarding the direction the Assassin order was taking, extremely heated arguments, and thus Mario believed that it was a measure of safety, as in his mind, his disagreements with him on top of his relationship with the Templar spy in the Assassin order's stronghold of Monteriggioni itself, even though Simone had no idea she was a spy, were signs that my brother could be compromised. He knew that this was a tough decision regarding Simone and deep down he was slightly reluctant, but he thought he had to do it for now.

I was shocked. We were all surprised by the decision. Myself, Pietro and my mother were absolutely furious with Mario and argued intensely with him. Ezio and Claudia were also particularly affected by it and they both tried to talk Mario into freeing Simone but nothing would do, and many of the other Assassin leaders supported Mario in this decision.

But then, my mother, out of love and desperation, did something I will never forget. With the help of another Assassin named Dino, who sympathized with her pain, she created a fake letter whose content seemed to indicate that she was actually the one and the only one in contact with the Templars and the one who invited those spies into Monteriggioni. The letter thus implied that her son Simone knew nothing about it, and then she orchestrated a scene in which the letter would be discovered while she tried to flee and Dino made sure that he was the one to capture her after, as agreed and then she put on an act.

Her plan sadly worked perfectly, and Mario released Simone, and then 3 days later, my mother Nella, was executed in Monteriggioni for high treason against the Assassin Order. Ezio upon discovery of the letter had pleaded with Mario that my mother very clearly just wanted to take the fall for the incident and that Mario should simply release Simone and ignore the letter, but Mario would have none of it and he didn't believe Ezio. Thus Mario went along with his decision, as he believed that with the letter, attempted escape and her overall act as tangible proof, that he should not be taking a risk like that. He totally bought into mother's act. His own personal issues didn't help as well.

My mother, from childhood had always told Pietro, Simone and myself that she would never hesitate to give her own life if it meant we could live, and she showed that day that those weren't empty words. Dino later formally revealed the truth to me, Simone and to Pietro but told us not to say it to anyone else, though we knew that one day we would have to. I secretly knew about my mother's doubts regarding the Assassins obviously but Dino also secretly revealed to us that mother was even contemplating leaving the order as she felt increasingly uncomfortable but that she did not know how we, her sons and her nephew would react. Dino though, was ill at the time and thus died shortly after.

After that incident, nothing was ever the same. Simone commited suicide the next day, refusing to live in the face of such a shameful event. He could have accepted mother giving her life for him in other circumstances, but not like this.

Pietro's case was particularly tragic, he considered Ezio to be his best friend, and around the time the event took place, his relationship with Ezio's sister Claudia had progressed to the point where both of them were thinking of getting engaged soon but the incident ruined all of that and this left Claudia in tears. Though Pietro deep down still loved Claudia dearly, their relationship did not recover from this. Pietro also blamed Ezio for not doing enough to convince Mario to save my mother as he believed Ezio was the one who had the best hand at succeeding for this task, and after that last argument, they did not talk to each other again. However, myself and Ezio did have serious but extremely tense conversations after that .

Ezio was also hugely scarred by the event and he felt enormous guilt as he thought he could have done more to prevent this. My mother had always been really kind to him. More than that, this event strangely made Ezio start reconsidering many of his own past actions and as well as many of the Assassin order's policies, as well as having some regrets, notably with how the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy was handled, as Ezio like the rest of us Assassins back then, did not really concern himself with the people who had to unjustly suffer because of that conspiracy, he was only after the templars, only after his revenge. This also secretly soured his relationship with Lorenzo de Medici, though Ezio was a bit forced to keep up appearances for a time and Mario and some of the other leaders of the Assassins still wished to have a cordial alliance with the Medici. Ezio changed a lot after that.

Pietro though he hated Mario with a burning passion and wanted him gone, wasn't sure about how he would even deal with the aftermath of an assassination on Mario and what would come after. The thing is, despite all of this, Pietro still believed that the Assassin order should exist but that it needed major reforms, different leadership and could not really continue the way Mario and some of the other leaders were running it in the long term. Therefore, 3 days after the incident, Pietro went into self-imposed exile in Siena, not too far from Monteriggioni where he apparently still is at the moment, stating that he would only return to the Assassins if justice is served for mother and there is a change at the top, though unsurprisingly, that doesn't look likely. Ironically, despite their broken relationship, Ezio and Pietro agreed on the idea that the Assassins needed to drastically change, though they obviously never actually discussed this together as they no longer really talked to each other.

After some introspection as said previously, Ezio realized that the order needed change and thus Ezio's relationship with his own uncle also became a bit colder though they obviously couldn't ignore each other at all and still had to work together. However, Ezio was not sure on how to bring about this change within the Assassins and the templars were still a massive and active threat thus he had a hard time fully focusing on that task. And though Mario obviously still disliked the growing opposition, there was a huge amount of fragility within the Assassins at that moment.

He could not exactly get rid of Pietro or certainly not his nephew Ezio, and create another huge internal incident so soon after the one with my mother unless he wanted the Assassin order in Italy to collapse entirely and immediately right there and then, something the Templars would fully take advantage of, thus Mario was forced to endure it.

However, where I differ from Pietro and Ezio is that I had come to believe that the Assassins should cease to exist altogether, the organization is now unredeemable and just as corrupt as the Templars and it would be impossible to change that in the long term. Any change they could make would be short term at best and large scale secret organizations should not be constantly deciding such matters and interfering to this extent. Though I obviously never shared that specific belief with either of them and kept it for myself, I simply told Pietro I wasn't sure I agreed with his views on the topic. At first, I also wanted to kill Mario immediately but then I realized that it might not change much, that the problem was much larger and I had to look at the bigger picture, if I wanted to truly get back at him, I should use other means.

I still cared about Pietro and all of this did break my heart, however at this point that was an idea I simply could not accept, even if it came from him. For me, Assassins, Templars, they both had to go and I would not be able to forgive him if he still wanted this wretched group to continue existing even under different leadership. I could not understand why Pietro would still want to be a part of that organization in the future.

Thus, around a week later, after the affair, I also decided to leave the order and while I was travelling by sea on a large ship, I faked my death in an accident and other people apparently reported my disappearance to the Assassins. It might sound cruel but I had no other choice, this could not continue.

And that is sort of how I got to this point. I started eliminating figures of the Assassin order in Venice and leaving notes and clues behind for some of them. Hoping the Assassins would believe that the venetian spy in Monteriggioni who had escaped and collected a lot of info on the Assassins, was actually the one behind it. I believed that confusing them would be a good way of getting back at them, that it would cause a breakdown within the order and force them to look into the mirror a little bit. The truth is, I had already found the templar spy and eliminated him before even beginning to target Assassins in Venice alongside another Templar agent.

I left a note on that courtesan that I killed, talking about how refining the outside makes you lose the elements from the inside. That woman, though her courtesan activity which involves a lot of deception, was kind of a good personification of the Assassin order. For all the pretty talks of liberty, free will and all of that on the outside, on the inside, the organization is rotten, they completely lost themselves and now there is absolutely no way back, they have become just another group fighting for control and power, just like the Templars, though their means might differ. Her spilled guts on the ground were simply a poetic way of sending a subtle message to the Assassins if you will.

But what exactly could I do entirely alone outside of getting rid of these people ? Not much, however, Assassins and Templars have also fought over strange artifacts, known as pieces of eden. No one really seems to know where those objects come from, however they are relics of immense power. I then started to believe that if I could get my hands on one of them, maybe…..I could stop this madness ? However I haven't had much success when it comes to finding pieces of eden. But too many have suffered because of this secret war and something had to be done at least…. The Assassins had recently organized an expedition to retrieve one of these artifacts, though I have no idea where they sent their men and they may not even find anything at their destination.

Ezio had a special gift when it came to finding hidden treasures. Interestingly enough, Ezio shortly after arriving in Monteriggioni, had a strange glowing mark appear on his palm, almost like magic. He said that it appeared at night one day, while he was thinking in pain, of his dead father and brothers, but also of a girl called Cristina, that was his lover back in Florence but that he had to leave behind as he could not take her with him, thus Cristina got married to someone else. None of us really knew where this mark really came from or why but, over time, he realized that his mark gave him extremely useful visual abilities, such as being able to see through walls and other solid objects, and being able to leave a visual marker on whoever Ezio wanted to track or tail."

Alessandro then stopped for a few seconds, as he was clearly getting emotional, which gave Neri better time to absorb what he had said. The pieces of eden mentioned in the Isu book were apparently known to the Templars and Assassins, though they did not seem to know about their true origin unlike her. Does that mean that they know about the prophecy as well and the vault ? Neri wasn't sure how to bring that up. The story behind Nella's execution was a bit moving in a way, as well as Ezio starting to reflect on his and the Assassins' own actions due to the incident. Also Ezio apparently had the mark too ?

Before Alessandro could resume, she asked him :" This mark that Ezio has…." she then removed her glove, showed her glowing mark to Alessandro and continued "Is it like this one ?"

"Wow, yes indeed, that's exactly like his. So, there are more of you out there, as I suspected."

"Yes, but please, continue your tale."

"Very well. There's one major element I haven't talked yet about, something that has been troubling me for a while. Following my official disappearance, I have learned a disturbing truth." Alessandro said before stopping again, prompting Thea to ask him

"What is it ?"

"What if I told you that the Vatican in Rome was under the intense influence of a Templar mastermind ? Dozens of cardinals being very subtly manipulated by that sinister individual, without suspecting a thing. A menace hiding in plain sight." Alessandro noted.

"What do you mean ?" Neri asked

"The individual who is responsible for the events of the Pazzi conspiracy, the death of Doge Mocenigo and even the death of the Duke of Milan in 1475, and perhaps most importantly, the man who orchestrated the execution of Ezio's father and brothers. He is most likely the leader of the Templars in Italy. I have discovered recently that this man is hiding around Rome and has a lot of influence in the Vatican.

Ezio and I have seen him before, with our own eyes, in a way at least. He was always wearing a hooded black robe as well as a strange looking and very solid mask that somehow prevented Ezio from seeing through it and truly seeing his face by using the powers his mark had granted him. The man, maybe due to speaking through his strange mask, had a very unsettling voice and his eyes were yellow. I suspect that this mask might be a piece of eden though I am not sure. The Assassins have for a long time tried to discover his identity without any success, they did not even know where to look, however it appears that I have managed to discover at least his location on my own, in a very broad sense.

Giuliano della Rovere, Ascanio Sforza, Rodrigo Borgia, or maybe even Pope Innocent XVIII himself, this man could be ANYONE among the leading and influential figures in Rome. A man who was able to orchestrate events such as these, who is looking for these powerful pieces of eden, and is leading an organization that ultimately wants to see the subjugation and virtual enslavement of humanity, is clearly bad news. The fact that his seat of power is in Rome makes it even worse. I see that man and his faction as ultimately too dangerous and poisonous for this world, just like the Assassins.

I don't really know who you are, and you do not have to tell me. Just knowing that you are neither Assassin or Templar, that you seem very strong willed, dedicated and good natured, have been skilled enough to gather information about these affairs with your friend and that you are also an able combattant is enough for me to want to share all of this with you. You even already showed a lack of trust regarding the Assassins and Templars with what little information you had managed to gather by calling them shady organizations before I even revealed the extent of their machinations, that really piqued my interest.

You were also hesitant to accept my challenge and worried about your friend first despite it being a possible obstacle to getting the answers you were looking for and that meant so much to you according to her, so you do seem like a good person, someone who truly cares about people I assume.

When I said that you hadn't yet been corrupted, that is sort of what I meant for the most part. Unlike me and many others before, you have not been formerly brainwashed or been heavily influenced by either of these ideologies at any time in the past before. The fact that you even also seem to possess Ezio's powers makes it even better. Despite my own attempts to wash away my sins and make up for them, I feel like they will always haunt me, and that is not a burden you seem to have.

Also, I am ill, seriously ill. It's a strange disease and though it does not exactly affect my fighting capabilities and is thankfully not contagious in any way, it is still a deadly one and I could suddenly pass any time now. Personally, I don't think I have much time left.

So if you have the ability to do something about these two organizations, I'm sure the world would be a better place. I have no idea how you would go about it, but I'm certain that something can be done. Soon I'll be gone, so I don't have much choice besides hoping that you…..or someone else manages to do something about this horrific situation. For this can not continue any longer."

After a short moment of silence, Alessandro then said "Well, I guess…..this is it then. The rest is up to you. Farewell."

After this, Alessandro removed his odd looking necklace that was revealed to be a flask of poison, something Neri had failed to notice before, and then he opened it and drank it. Before Neri and Thea had the time to do a thing, Alessandro already dropped dead on the ground.

"Neri…." Thea said

"Let's return home Thea, we'll have an easier time discussing what happened once we return safely."

"Alright."

Around an hour later, they had made it back home and were relatively exhausted, but they had to stay up to analyze everything they had discovered in the past hours.

"Thea"

"Yes ?"

"I know….I know what I have to do now. That book I mentioned the other day, I have to find it now. The prophecy and the Vault I talked to you about what was included in that book, maybe they're the key ? The Vault was said to have immense power, even more than the pieces of eden, so maybe If one could find it, they would be able to use its power in order to protect people from the actions of the Assassins and Templars somehow ? Everything Alessandro told us was very alarming. Individuals have suffered unjustly because of this secret war, me included, but many many many more people have as well. I think it is necessary to take action, these two organizations are far too dangerous especially if they are also after pieces of eden."

"You're absolutely right Neri, but didn't you say that only the prophet could have access to the Vault ? Even if you find the location, you may not be able to enter it if you're not the prophet."

"That's true. To be honest with you, I think it is unlikely that I am the prophet, even though I have the mark of course. But whoever he or she is if that person even exists in our time, maybe I can find them and convince that person to help. It probably won't be easy but at least it is worth a try. And that man Luigi, I told you I was suspecting he knew more about this affair than he let on that day back in Paris, and I can still see that the book is still in Naples, so I should probably go there quickly, talk to Luigi and see what can be done. There may even be some hidden clues in the book I missed, I'm sure I'll be able to find something that can be of help."

"Right. If you're heading to Naples then I'll be going with you, don't worry about it."

"Thea, with what he told us, things are going to get even more dangerous from here on out. You don't have to follow me if you think it will be too risky."

"Of course it'll be dangerous which is why I can't let you do it alone. You'll need a lot of support for this and you can count on me. I've got to say, I am really touched by your concern for me today not just now but also before your fight, I will never forget it. I'll go with you to Naples, don't worry.."

"Thank you Thea, thanks for everything."

"You're welcome. Though I must ask you, what Alessandro said…..how does it make you feel about Ezio now ? What are you going to do when he returns ?"

Neri sighed before explaining that her anger towards Ezio had decreased a bit upon hearing the revelations and the way he had started questioning himself. She believed that Ezio was also vulnerable to bad influence at a low point in his life after his family tragedy, though she did not exactly forgive him as he was still with the Assassins and should still have a bit of agency. Therefore, she was slightly conflicted and was still determined to talk to him when he returned.

Thea then brought up the fact that Ezio also had the mark and what it could mean.

"Do you think Ezio could be the prophet ? Though he said they knew about pieces of Eden and the mark, Alessandro never talked about the prophecy or the vault in any way, do you think the Assassins and Templars know about this ?"

"I don't know, regarding Ezio or regarding the knowledge that these two groups may have. But in both cases, that would certainly complicate things if true."

**Author's note** : Hardest chapter to write by far. How do you like Alessandro's backstory ? What are your thoughts on Neri's development so far ? What do you think of Pietro ? I really want to hear your thoughts, and I'll see you in the next one.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Venice, June 1491** _

" _Hi Chérie (Dear), I am glad to learn that you are well and those we love have been partially avenged. Everyone else here is doing quite fine, Camille and Marcel are learning fast and I'm sure they'll do a great job once they succeed me many years from now. It's a bit strange without you here. I miss you terribly, we all do, Camille mentions that fact nearly every day and we really hope to see you back with us soon enough. I'm truly happy that you were lucky enough to find a good place to stay in Venice, so say Hi to Thea for me. I have sent you more money and merchandise as promised. Should you need anything, never hesitate to let me know._

_Love, Madeleine."_

Two weeks had passed since the nearly earth shattering revelations from Alessandro and yesterday night, Neri had received this letter from her aunt responding to recent development as well as other things as indicated. She thus didn't take too much time to write a response to Madeleine and share everything she had learned since last time and thus let her know about the imminent journey to Naples and obviously that her stay in Italy might be even longer than she initially thought. Neri had also found new business contacts that might help Madeleine, so all of that would be included in her letter.

Neri had also been thinking a lot about Ezio being a mark-bearing hybrid just like her and the possibility that he could be the prophet. Could that really be the case ? Could he really be the special individual mentioned in the Isu Manuscript ? Mark-bearers were supposed to be extremely rare according to the manuscript after all so everything was on the table. But the thought of it scared her in a way as she believed it could seriously compromise her plans. The prophet being either Assassin or Templar would make the whole task vastly more complicated than it already was. Then again, the prophet could also be none other than herself which would make things easier, but for some reason, she did not really believe in this theory as she had already told Thea.

Outside of that, her feelings regarding Ezio had also gotten slightly more mixed in the face of Alessandro's revelations, though her anger towards him had not exactly evaporated. However, In the two weeks that had passed since, she had another dream about her dead family, which contributed to again reinforcing that anger.

Despite now having a more nuanced view of the situation, she still could not exactly renounce her anger due to Ezio's role in aiding the cruel Lorenzo de Medici in the past which indirectly contributed to inflicting so much pain upon her family, even if he now has regrets, especially since he still supports the Assassins as an organization, regardless of whatever reforms he wishes he could implement due to his self reflection. At this time, she had no idea what those angry feelings would truly lead her to do the day she finally meets Ezio after all these years.

She had also given a lot of thought to the strange masked individual mentioned by Alessandro. The masked templar leader in Italy supposedly hiding in plain sight in the Vatican among the cardinals and other clergymen. Neri had decided that she would also have to investigate that situation at one point when she returned from Naples by starting with the names that had been revealed by Alessandro during their exchange.

As indicated before, Thea fully supported Neri in her choices, recognizing just like her the grave danger that the Assassins and the Templars posed to the world, having been extremely shocked and alarmed by everything that she had heard from Alessandro in his hideout.

On top of deeply empathizing with Neri for her losses when she was younger, the fact that Neri had proven to her over the relatively short time they had spent together that she was very kind, trustworthy and that she truly cared for her well being even in the face of a goal so personal and one that meant so much to her, was something Thea was really pleased with and deeply touched by.

All of those elements combined with Thea's own sense of adventure easily explain why she decided to follow Neri in such a dangerous quest.

Thus, as Neri finished writing her letter, she sealed it and put it aside. Since it was still relatively early in the morning, she would have to wait before giving the letter away to be delivered. She then got up and out of her room and as soon as she was closing the door behind her, she came across Thea.

"Good Morning Neri. Have you slept well ?"

"Hi Thea. Yes I have thanks, but your hair…." Neri said surprised

"Yeah, I cut it a bit throughout the night, I usually don't let it get this long you know ?"

"I see. You look the same, but also so different, it's hard to explain. It might take me some time to get used to it." Neri said with a smile

Thea had cut her long black hair. She now had a slightly below chin length haircut, which gave her a bit of a different aura though it didn't take away from her usual gentle appearance at all.

"Well I hope it won't take too long." Thea said, returning Neri's smile.

Thea then asked "So, we're taking the ship to Naples in two days, is that correct ?"

"Yeah that's it. I can't wait for us to be there."

"Same, I've never been to Naples before, I really want to see what it's like. I also hope we won't have too much trouble finding Luigi. Your vision is still indicating the same location, right Neri ?"

"Yeah. If everything goes well, we should easily find him as well as the book. Also, I'll pay for the entirety of our stay there, you won't have to spend a thing Thea, okay ?"

"Neri…"

"Thea you've already done so much for me here, it's only fair. At least this once. Hmm ?"

"Alright."

"Great!"

"You know Neri, it's only been a few weeks, but I'm really glad I met you." Thea said with a smile

"I feel the same." Neri responded before the two girls hugged tightly.

_**Adriatic Sea, June 1491** _

2 days later, after taking everything they needed for the trip and after Neri sent her letter to Paris, her and Thea finally boarded their ship. A lot of the passengers on it, seemed to be merchants, which shouldn't really be surprising since Venice was a major trading hub and especially at this time of the year.

Thea was wearing a short length brown coat with a red scarf and black pants, whereas Neri was wearing a different colored variation of her standard type of outfit (she had several versions of it in many colors). Thea's 3 employees, Sarah, Rachel and Hannah, who were also from Austria and close in age to Thea as a matter of fact, would be taking care of the shop and everything else in her absence as usual. They had always proven themselves to be extremely capable in that regard so there wouldn't be any issues. Near the edge of the ship, the two girls were having a talk.

"You know Neri, one day when the time is right, I'd really love to take you to Vienna, I'm sure you'd love it. The city is quite charming. Plus you already know the language so it'll make things easier."

"Certainly! I'd even be down for visiting Munich as well since you lived there for a few years. It would be nice to see what those German cities are like with my own eyes. My aunt had travelled there before and she told me many funny tales about the place while she was teaching me German around 5 years ago."

"Yeah that would be great. I don't think I mentioned it before but my mother is originally from Munich but she moved to Vienna at age 13, another reason why the city is a bit special to me. She'll be glad to show you around when we see her."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

Around 1486, a year after the journey to Constantinople, Madeleine had indeed started teaching German to Neri, which she has been able to master quite well, though a French accent is obvious in her voice while speaking the language. Thea had learned French when she was younger, though this time, with an Austrian accent instead of a Venetian one funnily enough. However, both girls only spoke Italian to each other at that point.

"By the way Thea, I've never asked you this before but, have you ever had…..someone in your life before ? Ever been in love with someone in the past ?"

"Yes….I have but….he died..." Thea said in a somber tone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry maybe I shouldn't have…."

"No it's alright, you couldn't have known. His name was Noah, he meant so much to me and he genuinely shared my adventurous side. He died in an accident, we were both 16, so around 3 years ago. One day, he fell from his horse and he passed a few weeks later due to complications from his injury. It was awful.

I have managed to get over it mostly but I think I won't find someone like him in a long time, I probably never will. I suppose it's a good thing my mother wasn't the kind of person who would force a marriage on her children, otherwise it would have made things worse. Thankfully, my father was also similar, even though he died before Noah."

Neri simply responded to this by putting her hand on Thea's shoulder in order to comfort her which Thea appreciated. It also made her think of Camille and the amount of pain she would be in if anything were to happen to Marcel. At that moment, she was seriously hoping that her cousin would not have to go through something similar.

_**Naples, June 1491** _

After a few days of travel by sea and land, they had arrived in the southern Italian city. Naples looked quite different from anything either of them had seen before and after a quick tour of the local neighborhood given by a guide, they entered their inn (hotel) at around 8 am in order to take a rest and recover from the trip. Their luggages had been transported and put in their rooms by the staff.

"Good god, I'm exhausted! I really see myself sleeping for hours." Thea said while dropping herself on one of the beds in their room.

"No arguing there, I feel the same. We need to get a lot of rest before we go out looking for Luigi. I just checked and thankfully, the location indicated by my vision is around 20 mins from here by foot I'd say. I guess we're really lucky." Neri answered

"Excellent. So let's say we go there later today around late in the afternoon or maybe at around 8pm ?" Thea proposed

"Yep, sounds like a plan." Neri agreed

"Alright. Happy resting Neri!" Thea said upon closing her eyes

"Happy resting to you as well."

Neri later woke up at around 5 pm and found Thea looking at the window.

"Thea ? How long have you been up?" Neri asked with a weak voice.

"Neri you're awake! I've been up for about 50 minutes now. If you're ready we should go grab something to eat now and then leave in 2-3 hours or so."

"Yeah you're right. Give me a few minutes."

After Neri got ready, the two girls went downstairs to have a meal before going back up and waiting for around 8pm before making their move. But when the time came, just as they were about to leave, something unexpected happened. Someone knocked on the door and Neri went to open, revealing the co-manager of the inn, a lady in her 40s holding a baby in her arms.

"Sorry to bother you at this time, but I was wondering if you could do me a favour ? A man left his 1 year old son in his room. He went outside after putting the baby to sleep in his room and locking the door. I heard from a few people he came across in the hall while going out that he was supposed to come back very quickly within 15 minutes or so but he still hasn't returned.

We've sent people to look for him but the rest of the staff is extremely busy tonight, if you don't have anything going on, would you mind looking after the baby until his father returns ? I am really sorry for inconveniencing you." the lady said.

"Very well, you can count on us." Neri said after slightly hesitating.

"Thank you so much young lady." The manager said upon handing the baby over to Neri and leaving and closing behind.

"What an adorable kid. I hope nothing bad happened to his dad." Thea said while caressing the baby's cheek

"You're right." Neri answered

"So it looks like we won't go after Luigi tonight uh ?"

"Yeah sounds like it."

"You know what ? I think you should go this time, you can let me take care of the baby. You'll update me on the situation when you return."

"Are you sure Thea ? I told her we would look after him."

"It doesn't need to be the both of us though does it ? I can take care of him, go look for Luigi. I'll handle it, don't worry." Thea said with a reassuring smile

"Alright then. I'll let her know on the way out that we both had to go somewhere important but you had to stay behind because of this unexpected situation." Neri said, handing the child over to Thea

"Of course. I hope you'll bring good news when you return."

"I hope so too. See you later Thea!"

"Bye!"

Neri had grabbed her cloak and weapons and then went outside. After walking for around 15 minutes with her eagle vision activated at all times, she noticed something odd from a small distance while seeing through the buildings with her powers.

In a relatively isolated alleyway, she could see an older figure that had pinned to the wall what looked to be a child, around 8 years old, the older individual, seemingly a man, pointing a knife towards the younger figure.

Highly disturbed by this, she decided to halt her march towards the location of the book and get a closer look at this incident instead. Quickly but stealthily, she made her way towards the aggressor by approaching from behind, in a slightly crouching position. The man was firmly covering a young boy's mouth with one hand, while pointing his blade with the other, Neri knew she had to be extremely careful. Strangely, the man wasn't talking at all, making the whole situation even more unsettling.

Once she was close enough, she used her left arm to grab the assailant's neck while simultaneously grabbing his wrist with her right hand extremely hard, causing the man to drop the knife in pain.

With the knife on the ground, Neri punched the man in the jaw twice, violently pinned him to the wall, and then pressed her right arm against his neck. The child, free from his aggressor's grasp was watching the scene.

"Please, please miss, I'm sorry. I promise I'll leave him alone if you let me go."

"And what has this child done to you ? Why were you attacking him ?"

"I….I don't know. Sometimes….I just can't help myself. You know ?"

Disgusted by this response, Neri swiftly knocked the man out and then turned to the boy.

"I'm really sorry you had to watch that. Are you okay ?" She said to him

"Yeah, thank you so much for saving me Miss, you're amazing, I really thought he was going to kill me."

"Don't worry, you're safe now." Neri said with a smile.

Neri then noticed that he was holding his left arm in pain and asked him "Are you sure that everything's alright ?"

"Well…..I fell on my shoulder after I tripped earlier today, it's no big deal."

"You should see a doctor, I came across one on my way from here. Where are your parents by the way ?"

"Hum….Well…..I'm an orphan actually, My name is Bruno Racanelli, I am 8 years old. I never knew my father and my mom died 2 years ago and I've been living in an orphanage building since.

But tonight, I just wanted to go outside on my own for a while and I managed to slip through, a stupid decision as you can see." He said in a depressed tone

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that Bruno. You can call me Neri. Is your orphanage far from here ? I can drop you off there after we see a doctor."

"It's at a reasonable distance from here, but I said I was fine Miss."

"You're clearly hurting, let me take you to a doctor, you'll feel better soon, okay ?"

"Okay. But what do we do with him ?" Bruno said, pointing towards the aggressor knocked out on the ground."

"Oh, I can carry him and leave him in the care of patrolling guards, we'll surely find some on our way to the doctor. If we explain what happened. I'm sure he'll spend a nice holiday in a cage."

"Right!"

"Very well, let's go Bruno."

As expected, Neri delivered the man to guards they went along the way, who were really grateful, as this individual was apparently someone they had been looking for for quite some time. Once they arrived at the doctor's shop, the latter handed over some medicine to Neri for Bruno's arm and after thanking him, they both left and made their way towards the orphanage.

"So, how did you get this strong Miss ? You look like you're just 18 or 19. I know I said it before, but you were amazing back there. You must have trained very hard."

"Well, I….just had amazing teachers….and a lot of perseverance. I began training at 12. It obviously wasn't easy when I started." Neri said.

"I see." Bruno said, full of admiration in his eyes.

After several more minutes, they had finally arrived in front of the orphanage and a lady, seemingly the owner of the building was waiting in front of it, seemingly anxious, until she noticed Bruno walking alongside Neri.

"Bruno ! Dio Mio (My God) I was so worried, where the hell were you !?"

"I am so sorry Signora Lambertini, it was completely my fault. The nice lady found and saved me from a bandit. I promise I won't go out on my own again." Bruno said while pointing to Neri

"Thank you so much for finding him Miss!" Lady Lambertini said

"You're welcome signora. I took him to a doctor since his arm was hurt and he recommended this medicine." Neri said upon handing over the medicine to the Orphanage lady.

"Thank you." She answered

"Can you come in for a few minutes Miss ? You must be tired after all that stuff, you can rest a bit and return to your home after ?" Bruno proposed

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea." Lady Lambertini said to Neri.

Neri gladly accepted and got inside. Once inside, Bruno then took Neri's hand and guided her towards his room, saying he wanted to ask her something in private, which the orphanage lady agreed to.

"Is everything alright Bruno ? Need any help for something ? What did you want to ask me exactly ?"

"Huh….Well…." Bruno started, his cheeks getting quite red

"Yes ?" Neri asked

"I was wondering…..whether you could read me a story before I go to sleep tonight. I have many books in this room. My mother used to read me stories before she died and it always made me happy, and…..You remind me of her in some ways, with your demeanor and the way you talk.

Lady Lambertini is very busy, plus I'd be too embarrassed to ask her something like that, I'm already a bit embarrassed to ask you so…."

Neri was greatly taken aback by what Bruno had just asked but she agreed to his request.

"Of course, I'd love to read you a story if it makes you happy. You shouldn't be shy about something like that, I totally understand." She said with a smile, patting his head.

"Really ? Thank you so much Miss!" Bruno said, his eyes glowing with joy.

"Bruno, I already said you can call me Neri, it's alright you know ?"

"Yes, I'm sorry about that Neri. The books are over there, pick whichever one you want."

"Very well."

Bruno then got into his bed in order to listen and after around 15 minutes, Neri was done reading.

"Thank you so much Neri, that was really nice, I won't forget it!"

Bruno then pursued : "By the way Neri, have you ever heard of the tale of a super secret and corrupt organization called the Shadow Court ?"

"The Shadow Court you say ? No, never. Where does this story come from ?"

"Well, it's an old legend from Naples. My mother told me about it before she died. She was herself told about it when she was a child too. It's said that for many centuries, some of the oldest and most influential families in the city, secretly meet underground and manipulate many events around town to their liking.

The rumor is that they also use masked killers to do their bidding, the kind that can take out several people without getting caught at all. Those killers are used to eliminate rivals and anyone the court sees as a too much of a threat, It's said that they sometimes kidnap children as well. Scary stuff. But no one really knows if the court truly exists or not."

"I see, that's intriguing."

"But anyway, thanks again for everything tonight Neri!"

"You're welcome. Now you need to get a good night's sleep and take your medicine until your arm recovers, okay ?"

"Sweet dreams Bruno." Neri said with a smile before leaving

However, once she was out of the room and had closed the door behind her, she stood around for a while. Thankfully the hallway seemed to be empty, as she could barely keep it in anymore.

She started walking a bit further and then she stopped, shoulder against the wall. Bruno asking her for a story reading, was a deeply emotional moment for her though she tried hard not to show it in front of the child.

Suddenly, she was reminded of her own baby brother Marco, the many nights she had spent reading to him back in Florence, as well as the myriad of other good moments they had spent together, before everything had turned south.

At that moment when she was reading, even though Marco had never lived to the age of 8, Neri did see her baby brother in Bruno a bit, and in the moment, it also contributed to increasing her sadness and anger, reminiscing the last time she saw him alive in that prison, before he was violently ripped away from her and her mother.

Thus, against the wall in that hallway, Neri couldn't help it, she felt vulnerable, she could no longer contain herself and started crying, though relatively quietly. Tears flowed down her face for several minutes, she was simply overwhelmed by emotion and stayed at that position for some time.

After a few more minutes, Neri wiped her tears, pulled herself back together and kept walking and making her way towards the exit. Her eyes were still a bit red and in front of the main door, she came across the orphanage lady who noticed her appearance.

"Are you alright dear ? You look a bit distraught."

"Yeah I'm fine signora. No need to worry." Neri said, trying to put on a more positive face.

"Very well. I've just learned that a criminal by the name Silvestro Sabbatini has been delivered to the authorities after attacking a child today. I suppose that was the man you saved Bruno from ?"

"Yes, that one. It seems they had been looking for Sabbatini for months now. I was on my way to see an old friend when I stumbled on the situation."

"I am glad you did. You're very courageous. Thanks to you, Bruno is safe."

"You're very welcome signora. I think I should really go now."

"Of course, stay safe out there and good night!"

"Bye!"

Neri was quite exhausted, physically, but especially emotionally, and it was really getting late. Thus, though she came across the building in which the Isu book supposedly was, in order to get a good look at it, she decided not to enter tonight but instead, she returned to the inn and told Thea what had happened. They would go there tomorrow, together.

Back at the inn in their room, Neri learned that the father of the baby Thea was guarding had hit his head somewhere causing him to be knocked out. Thankfully, he was found by some of the people sent by the staff and the baby was returned to his care. Neri had also updated Thea on how her personal evening went and why she decided not to enter that building tonight after all.

"Who knew we would both end up being on babysitting duty tonight ?" Thea exclaimed.

"Yeah one of us being on duty was surprising enough." Neri answered

"I'm sorry you had to go through that at the hospital, Neri. Even though it's obviously not Bruno's fault."

"Yes, of course not, he did nothing wrong at all. It's just….me. But maybe sometimes, letting it out can be healthy ? From a certain point of view ? I don't know."

"Yeah, sometimes, maybe it can be."

"In any case, we go look for Luigi and the book tomorrow, alright ?"

"Certainly!"

The next day, at around 9am, after taking what they needed, cloak and weapons, they went outside. Neri guided Thea, and after 20 minutes of march, they arrived near the building and could see the entrance. However, since Neri had the location memorized and had come here before, yesterday night, she hadn't activated her mark this morning and that was the problem.

Because when she did, and checked for the book, it was gone. She couldn't see it anymore ! It was the first time since meeting Luigi in Paris, that this had happened. Every other time she had checked for the book's location, she had been able to get something, but this time, nothing.

"Damn it ! I can't see it. It looks like it disappeared."

"What ? What do you mean, Neri ?"

"I can no longer see it with the vision. I'm not sure why and it doesn't make sense. I can usually see it from very far away as you already know. And it was here just yesterday, this doesn't make sense.."

"Do you think the book was burned, or destroyed in any other way ?"

"I'm not sure, but for some reason, I suspect something strange is going on in that building."

"So, what are we gonna do ? Do we still go in ?"

"Wait, I think I'm seeing something."

"What is it ?"

"There seems to be some sort of secret underground entrance to the building, though it is not super close to it, probably to keep up appearances, and I believe I can see some people down there though it's not clear, let's say we enter through it and find out what's going on ?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright then, follow me."

The underground entrance looked and seemed to function similarly to the one leading to Alessandro's hideout back in Venice (ref. Chapter 12), therefore, Neri and Thea had no trouble getting in. Just like in Venice, there were several free running challenges they had to go through. After several minutes, they found themselves in front of a strange wall. For a normal human being, this would seem like a dead-end, however, Neri with her eagle vision, knew that there was something important that the wall was hiding as she could see through it.

The wall seemed to have some sort of puzzle on it, though one someone without an eagle vision wouldn't know about unless they were told. While Neri was staring at the wall with her eagle vision, she noticed that some of the bricks on the wall, 5 of them to be specific, were glowing. She suspected that they were tied to a mechanism that was supposed to allow them some sort of passage, thus she tapped on the bricks one after another, but nothing happened. She then tried a different combination order, also with no reaction. On her third try, she again tried another order, which this time proved to be the correct one, causing the wall to "go up" and make way for Neri and Thea.

After this, they advanced and explored the underground for a few more minutes until reaching what seemed to be the end of the road, for real this time and they got closer to a few strange figures that were slightly below them, likely the ones that Neri had seen before they had even entered.

Through a small window with bars, one would be able to see around 4 individuals in black robes and strange masks talking below. However, thanks to Neri's powers, her and Thea did not need to actually take the risk of looking through the window, as Neri could simply see through the wall that was separating them and the individuals were also speaking very loudly.

Strangely, Neri could not see through their masks even after focusing as best she could, which she indicated to Thea by whispering it to her. Neri was reminded of what Alessandro had told her about the Templar leader's mask that even Ezio could not see through with his vision, could these people have similar masks ? Were those masks pieces of eden as Alessandro suspected ? Were those individuals affiliated with the Masked man in Rome ? Their voices also sounded weird, which was also an element mentioned by Alessandro regarding the man in Rome.

Both girls then kept quiet and tried to better listen to the conversation and identify if possible, the topic of the conversation.

"...Listen, I fully understand that you may be anxious about the situation but I do believe that you may be exaggerating a little bit here."

"No you don't understand, there's really a risk that it might happen and we need to take precautions before it's too late. We are one of his closest supporters, we can not let him down."

"(Sigh), very well, I'll have to talk to him once more then, will that be enough ?"

"Yes, thank you. Our organization's integrity can not be allowed to be threatened by internal strife. The Shadow Court is far too important for this city, and it has been for generations."

"Of course, I'm well placed to know that. Very well gentleman, I'll have a discussion with him as soon as I can today. Until next time."

After this, the 3 figures went through a strange looking door and closed behind. However something that one of them had said had greatly caught Neri's attention and she remembered that she had forgotten to mention to Thea, this little anecdote from Bruno yesterday : The Shadow Court. This supposed neapolitan legend seemed to actually be real, according to what one of the men below had just said. Thus, as they could go no further, she gave Thea the sign that it was time to leave and that she would explain later, and so they did.

They stealthily got out of the underground and had made it back to the inn, after which, Neri finally started explaining what Bruno had told her about the legend of Shadow Court and why one of the men in the secret hideout mentioning that organization could be a very big deal.

"I see, that's unsettling. Yet another secret organization uh ?" Thea said in response

"Yeah, seems like they're getting a bit less secret these days. Though the court for some reason, seems to exclusively operate in Naples as Bruno said. And it seems like they have some internal troubles too." Neri said

"But what could all of this have to do with the book's sudden disappearance ? All of this is really odd." Thea asked

"It is. I'm not sure what's going on around here, but we really have to find out as soon as possible. Let's rest a bit here for a few hours and then return to the building, but this time, let's knock on the front door and see what type of information we can get." Neri proposed

"Fine by me!." Thea agreed.

Thus, at around 3pm, they returned to the building and knocked on the door and a man opened.

"Hi, can I help you ?" He asked

"Hi, We're looking for a man named Luigi, unfortunately we don't know his family name, but we had heard that we could find him here. He's tall with dark hair and brown eyes and an athletic physique. He must be in his 20s or so, If I remember correctly he also had a relatively small cut scar on his left cheek that didn't fully heal." Neri asked

"Luigi ? I don't know anyone with that name here I'm afraid." He answered

"You've never even heard of someone with that name or fitting that description around here, sir ?" Thea asked

"No, no one like that."

"I see, well, thanks for your help." Neri said disappointed, before leaving with Thea

However, the man who had answered at the door was watching them leave with an extremely suspicious look on his face before finally closing the door.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Naples, June 1491** _

After that disappointing encounter, Neri and Thea had been walking around town, reflecting on what had happened and clueless on how to proceed with their objectives. They had found a quiet spot where they could sit down.

"(Sigh) I'm really not sure what to do here now Thea. We have no good coherent leads on Luigi at the moment and no idea on what the book has to do with those strange individuals we met back there."

"I'm just as lost as you are at the moment Neri. I believe we should take the rest of the day off and keep walking around the city and relax a bit before returning to the Inn, when our minds recover, may be able to come up with something none of us had even considered before."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Alright then, come Neri, let's go."

"Right."

Thus, the two girls kept exploring the city, seeing several landmarks, including a nicely built bridge though they had to make frequent stops in order to catch their breath. 5 hours later, at 8pm, they were on their way back to the inn and they came across an impressive establishment. It seemed like it was actually a new building that was about to open soon based on what was indicated nearby.

They came closer to look at the building, which was quite large and seemed very expensive. And as they were observing the place, they were approached by a man that looked to be in his mid 20s.

"Hi, can I help you with anything?" The man asked Neri and Thea

"Well yes actually. This seems to be a new building, what exactly will it be used for ?" Neri asked

"It will be a hospital. Children's hospital to be more specific. I actually funded and supervised the project alongside my wife. I am also planning on opening other establishments like this for underprivileged children around town whether they be orphanages or places where they can learn specific crafts. My name is Flavio Ravonne, and you are ?"

"Nerissa Mancini, nice to meet you." Neri replied using her alias

"I am Thea Sauer, nice to meet you as well. I must say, your undertakings seem really kind. If I may ask, is there reason that motivates you to do these things or is it just generosity ?"

"Well, from a very young age, my now deceased parents taught me how important it is that poor or disadvantaged children grow up to reach their greatest potential, that just because they weren't born at the top of social class doesn't mean that they are without worth or that they don't have anything significant to contribute to society. It might sound obvious for many, but certain other nobles certainly seem to think differently. So I suppose, I am just perpetuating my parent's will."

"I see, that's a very admirable way of thinking." Thea answered

"I feel the same. Many of these children deserve so much more." Neri added

"Indeed. There will be an inauguration event tomorrow night at 6pm, would you be interested in attending ? You don't necessarily have to stay an eternity and don't have to wear anything fancy, what do you say ?"

Neri and Thea and looked at each other for a few seconds before agreeing to the request.

"Of course, if possible we can make time for it." Neri answered.

"Well I'm glad, the more people attending, the better. Very well, I need to leave now, I will see you tomorrow night. Good evening to you."

"Good evening to you as well"

After a while, they had made it back to their room at the inn. Thea told Neri that attending the party might be a good distraction for tomorrow, that might allow the both of them to further relax before they truly get back to business the following day, to which Neri agreed.

As they were on their respective beds, they were talking, Thea brought up a particularly sensitive topic.

"Say Neri, I haven't told you much about my brother so far, have I ?"

"Hmm yeah now that you mention it, besides the fact that your father made sure that you and your brother were trained in sword fighting and climbing, not really. What is he like ?"

"(Sigh). We're twins actually. His name is Maximilian, or Max for short. And yeah we trained and studied together, every language I speak, he also does and overall we had a pretty good relationship, growing up. Not to say we never fought but overall it was quite good. However, there is one key department in which we differed greatly in our childhood."

"What do you mean ?"

"It's about our father. I already told you how much my father meant to me and that we got along really well. However for Max, it was….different. They just never really had a great relationship together. For some reason, they could never effectively communicate with each other and their interactions were usually cold.

The worst thing is that deep down, I knew that they wanted to improve their relationship, as I was both close to them individually, but on the surface, it was the negativity that seemed visible most of the time. Max was truly suffering from the situation and I did try to be a bridge between the two many times but to no success, my mother also tried the same as me but with no results. And then came the day when we last saw my father, around two hours before he left to travel to Castile…"

_**Flashback : Munich, August 1486** _

"This necklace looks awesome Papa! Thank you so much!" Thea said

"That's nothing dear. I'm glad you like it." Erik said with a smile

"For how long will you be away again Papa ?" Thea asked

"Hmm I believe I should be back in around a month from now. In the meantime don't forget to study and train hard okay ?" Erik answered

"Right!" Thea said back

Thea's mother then entered the room.

"The carriage driver has arrived, dear. He's ready to go whenever you are." She said to her husband

"Ah great!. Thank you Louise." Erik answered

"Enjoying your gift Thea ?" Louise asked

"Of course I do, mother." she answered with a smile

"I wish I could have gotten you this at your birthday a few months ago but oh well, what matters is that you're happy." Erik said to which Thea nodded in approval, smiling and they shared a long hug for about a minute during which they said how much they would miss each other and then Thea brought up the subject of her brother.

"Papa, have you gotten a gift for Max as well ?" Thea asked

Unbeknownst to Thea, Louise and Erik, Max meanwhile had been in front of the stairs for just a few seconds, long enough to hear what Thea had just said and before Erik could answer her question Max spoke first

"Oh I'm sure that 1 month of not seeing you will more than make up for the lack of a gift father, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." The tone of his voice was extremely bitter

"Max!" Thea yelled at him

"Max, how dare you !?" Louise said to her son.

However, Erik was too shocked to reply. He had no idea how or what to answer to what his son had just said to him. Thus, Max just angrily went back up without anyone else saying anything.

It obviously wasn't the first time he and Max had a bad interaction but this one particularly stung, for everyone and this specific time for some reason, even Max and Thea's relationship was affected as well and they barely spoke in the following weeks when Erik was away.

The truth is, Erik also had something to give to Max. But even more importantly, he was about to go up to try his best to have a serious talk with him and once again try to see what could be done to improve their father-son relationship but Erik did not share that with Thea or Louise before leaving, too shaken by the incident. Max did not mean what he had just said but he had let the frustration get the better of him and Max locked himself into his room after that, and that was the last time he saw his father.

Then, later, Thea's family learned the somber news : her father was found dead in Castile. A friend he had there discovered the body and brought it back to Thea and her family. Thea was devastated and did something she regrets to this day.

"I hope you're happy about this Max. 1 month just got extended to a lifetime. Now you won't have to see him EVER AGAIN! I hope you're REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT!" Thea screamed at her brother in tears before storming to her room in tears.

"Thea ! Please dear come back!" Louise yelled at her before sitting down and exchanging a sad look with her son in complete silence, tears flowing down her face.

Max was in complete and utter shock in front of the news. This was not a scenario he had even seriously considered back when he said this. He never believed his own words but now they had been unexpectedly given a lot more weight and thus he did feel extremely guilty.

_**Back to present day** _

"...thus, Max was wracked with guilt over the words he had left our father with, not knowing that those would be his last to him. On top of that, my words to him on the day the news was delivered only made things worse.

In just a few days, I also started to feel horrible about what I had said to him and apologized many times but it didn't make things better. Max wasn't angry at me at all, he said he understood; however, in his guilt, I had never imagined he would go this far…" Thea stopped after tearing up.

"What...what did he do ?" Neri asked, apprehensively

"He felt ashamed of himself, he started saying that he was unworthy and that the following year….he would leave us to go live alone in another city. He said that he did not deserve to live under the same roof as us again. You have to remember me and him were just 14 at the time.

Even as terrible as the situation was, I thought that he was being overly dramatic. I told him I still loved him and I tried to make him feel better but that's just how badly he felt. Internally, he was ravaged that he not only never has a healthy relationship with our dad but also that their last meeting had been so bitter. My mother crying and pleading with him changed nothing either, Max had made up his mind.

Thus, in early 1487, he left us to go live in Berlin, to go work various jobs, putting his training skills to use, while also continuing to practice. He said that he did not care as long as the jobs offered were moral. We did not entirely lose contact. We still exchanged letters and he would sometimes send some of the money he gained back to us insisting we take it, though he himself refused any financial help from us, refused to visit us or accept visits from us and he did not want to change his mind. And after he left, my maternal uncle came to live with us.

And that's how it's been these past few years. I miss him so much Neri, and I'm not sure what it could possibly take to make him come back to us."

"Thea…." Neri said with a sad tone, taking her friend's hand who was now full on crying and gave her a hug.

Neri then told her "If there's anything I can do to help you in the future regarding Max…."

To which Thea replied "No Neri it's fine, you should not be burdened with this…."

"But Thea, that's what friends are for, right ? We support and help each other out in times of need. We share the good but also the bad moments, isn't that so ?" Neri said while Thea was crying in her arms.

"You're right Neri." Thea said, the sadness in her voice overwhelming

"It's okay Thea, I'm here." Neri answered from a comforting tone, still holding her friend tight.

The next day, they arrived at the hospital for the event at the time previously agreed upon. Neri and Thea did not wear fancy dresses as Flavio told them it was not necessary. Both girls wore the type of things they used to wear often, nice and especially practical outfits with gloves, which allowed for mobility a dress would not.

When they entered, there were quite a few guests and Flavio was giving a little speech, basically reiterating some of the things he had explained to them the previous nights regarding his motivations in this matter, while also adding a few more details. Once Flavio was done, he met a few other guests before finally greeting Neri. Thea had previously gone picking up some appetizers and told Neri she would be back shortly

"Well hello, I am glad you managed to come tonight, did your friend accompany you ?" He said

"Yes, she will be back shortly. But really, the pleasure is ours. Is your wife here tonight as well ?" Neri asked

"No she's not. My wife is actually 9 months pregnant, she will give birth very soon."

"Oh, congratulations, that's great news." Neri told him

"Thank you, she's a remarkable woman and I am lucky to have her by my side. I truly could not have achieved this without her support."

"That is nice to hear sir. Have you already decided on a name for the baby, depending on the gender ?"

"Well I'm not sure yet, but I probably should as there's clearly not much time left is it ?" Flavio said with a smile

"I'm sure." Neri said returning his smile

"By the way, would you like a drink ? It is quite good." Flavio asked after a server came close

"Of course, why not ?"

"Very well, there you go." Flavio said upon handing the drink over to Neri.

While he did so, Neri had managed to notice that Flavio had a small very particular looking cut on his right thumb and asked him if everything was alright but he told her not to worry. Neri then fully drank the content of her glass, which had a very strange taste, however she did not mention this to Flavio.

Eventually Thea came back and greeted Flavio who also offered her a drink that she accepted before he had had to get away for a while. After around 3 hours, the vast majority of the guests had left and Flavio was accompanying Neri and Thea towards the exit and all three of them stayed in front of the building for around 10 minutes, talking. However, at one point, Flavio, seemingly intrigued by something he had not mentioned, started walking and moving forward, leaving Neri and Thea behind in the process.

The girls didn't know what was going on and they tried to call his name, but he wouldn't respond, it was as if he was being hypnotized. However, as they were both walking towards him to try and reason with him, a masked figure seemingly a male one, that neither of them had noticed, rushed towards Flavio from the side and stabbed him from behind before anyone else could react and then immediately tried to get away.

"No!" Neri screamed

"Neri go after him! I'll take care of things here!" Thea said while going to Flavio's side and trying to see if anyone else around could help her.

Neri quickly nodded to Thea and immediately started chasing the masked figure. The man was just as skilled in free running as she was and was able to put a reasonable distance between himself and Neri and very quickly both of them found themselves on the rooftops dodging every possible obstacle on their way. She kept running after him on the rooftops for around 3 minutes before for some unexplained reason, the figure stopped running, dead in his tracks, which left Neri supremely confused.

The masked man then turned around to look at her without saying a word and strangely at that moment, Neri started feeling extremely dizzy, the environment around her seeming unusual and before having the time to utter a word, she collapsed on the rooftop.

She later wakes up in a dark room, tied up, still a bit dizzy and obviously unable to tell how much time had passed since then. Then, a few minutes later, the masked man she had been pursuing entered the room alongside another figure wearing a different but familiar mask and black robes. It immediately caught Neri's attention, as the second figure wore a mask similar to the ones she saw in the underground that day, the mask worn by members of the so-called Shadow Court.

This was quickly confirmed as she could see through the first man's mask by stealthily using her mark as she was still wearing her gloves but she couldn't see through the face of the second figure who then went on to say "Leave us" to the man she had pursued, in a strange unnatural voice that sounded like a male one and just like the ones she had heard in the underground. The man who had killed Flavio then left the room and closed the door, leaving Neri alone with this other strange man.

"Well, well, well you're finally awake. I must say I'm impressed, truly." The man said

"Where am I !? Why did your lackey murdered that man on the street !? What is the meaning of this !?" Neri asked angrily

"I am the one asking the questions here young lady. So allow me to begin : Why did you and your friend go to that building looking for a young man named Luigi ? Who sent you ? Tell me everything you know right away and then, there's a good chance you'll be allowed to leave unharmed, though I can't make any promises."

"I only know that you are part of a sinister and corrupt organization called the Shadow Court, one that many in this city consider to be just a legend and some of Naples' most influential families are rumoured to have been part of it for generations, control it behind the scenes.. As for Luigi I will not tell you why I was looking for him and I have no idea what he has to do with your group. However, know this : If you try to hurt my friend, I will not let you get away with it, do you hear me !?"

"You're not exactly in a position to threaten me, are you ? You don't have to worry about that friend of yours, as a measure of good faith I didn't take her, only you. You still do know a lot more about our organization than I thought. However, that is still not enough and I require more information from you, if you refuse to give it to me, then maybe this might help loosen your tongue. I hope you do end up talking, it would be regrettable to have to add you to our organization's already long list of corpses and dead enemies, don't you think ?"

He said before pulling out a flask from his robe and forcing Neri to drink its content, though she tried to resist as best as she could but the man was successful and Neri was forced to ingest the strange substance, after which the man dropped the flask on the ground, left the room, closed it and locked the door.

A few minutes after ingestion, Neri started feeling even more dizzy, her surroundings looking more and more surreal by the second, there was no mistake : that strange substance was causing her to experience full blown illusions, and it was about to get worse, much worse.

She then started to have a series of powerful hallucinations in very quick succession and in them, she wasn't tied up to a chair but could freely move around. She is forced to relive the brutal death and humiliation of her father, her arrest alongside Raphaelle and Marco as well as their transfer to prison in a psychedelic and extremely trippy manner.

Then, she then suddenly sees her little brother Marco getting abused and repeatedly beaten by a figure in black and while she instinctively tries to do something about it, nothing happens, obviously.

After this, she then sees her past 11 year old self in prison, waking up alone crying heavily and saying with a weak voice "Mama? I'm here please come and save me. Please..." shortly after her mother had been taken away from her in the prison to be executed on false charges, despite knowing full well her mother had probably already been killed at that point.

Completely overwhelmed by the vivid pain of the past, the actual Neri then falls to her knees and starts crying as well, her hands on her face. After that ordeal, she comes back to reality but this time, she is on the ground and untied for a reason she can not explain. Maybe she moved around a lot during her hallucinations ?

But in any case, this substance wasn't common at all, she had never heard of such a hallucinogenic cocktail like this one before. But having to relive these horrific events in such a manner made her far more angry at the individuals holding her hostage than she already was. However, Neri realized that her sword was no longer with her as they had most likely taken it away when she was unconscious while they carried her to this unknown place and that she would have to be careful.

Then, the door opened, revealing this time not the shadow court individual but instead his subordinate, the one who had killed Flavio on the street, and he was accompanied by 3 other masked men who were dressed very similarly to him. Neri then suspected that they could very well be the masked killers that supposedly served the shadow court according to the legend relayed by Bruno.

"You've unconsciously managed to untie yourself. The substance must have affected you greatly I see and whatever you saw must not have been pleasant, so are you ready to talk, or would you like another dose ?" He asked

"Go to hell." Neri angrily replied

"Very well. Take a hold of her." He ordered one of the men

Neri, despite being weaponless, got into a defensive stance. She could feel her mark glow under her glove and her rage grow by the second, and when one the killer drew his sword and tried to point it at her, she quickly rolled on the ground, kicked the man's feet, who then understandably fell. She then grabbed his weapon and kneed him in the stomach while he was on the ground, knocking him out cold.

"So, anyone else wants to have a go at it ?" She asked the remaining 3 killers.

The 3 men then tried to attack and disarm her, however, though it wasn't easy, she was able to hold her own and eliminated 2 of them, leaving only the one who had killed Flavio, who seemed to be the most skilled of the bunch. But even then, Neri in a high emotional state also managed to get the better of him, after a series of devastating frontal attacks. All 3 of them were now dead.

She then scanned the place and saw that there was no one else nearby, however, she left the room with her sword drawn, not wanting to get her guard down. After walking around in this strange hideout for a while, she then suddenly heard someone calling her out from behind from a small distance, and thus she immediately turned back : It was the one who had made her drink that mysterious substance.

"So, it would appear that you made quick work of some of my most talented men. Now that, I wasn't expecting. Somehow you have managed to pique my interest even more. I knew I had reasons to be suspicious."

Though they were both at a relatively safe distance from each other, Neri asked him in a very threatening tone

"Since me searching for Luigi at that specific building is what made you suspicious, surely he must have something to do with your organization in some capacity, or maybe your men murdered him for some particular reason that you are trying to cover up. How is he involved in this affair ?"

"Didn't I tell you that I was the one asking the questions regarding this matter, young lady ? It seems you really do not learn." He said while holding his arms out.

This gesture would prove to be crucial, as Neri had her eagle vision activated, she suddenly had a horrible realization. The man was wearing gloves that she could obviously see through and she noticed something familiar : his thumb. This man had the exact same scar on it that….that…...Flavio did. Worse, she also remembered in that instant that the substance she had been forced to drink tasted familiar.

The drinks at the event had a similar taste, and they must have been mixed with the substance, which would explain why they also tasted so strange back there. She had seen Flavio die with her own eyes, but then also knew that the substance was hallucinogenic and that she had ingested some before seeing Flavio's apparent death back there on the street, which could only mean one thing.

"No, don't tell me…." Neri started

"What are you talking about ?" He asked

"The drinks….that substance earlier in that room where I was tied up. Flavio….It's you...You're the one under that mask aren't you ? But why ? Answer me!" Neri shouted

Having noticed that Neri was also looking at his right thumb even though he had gloves on, and her references to the drinks, The man immediately realized what was going on and decided to remove his mask.

"Well well, it appears I have been unmasked. And if my feelings are correct, this must mean

that, you are one of THOSE, aren't you ? This might very well explain why you were looking for Luigi."

"Flavio…" Neri said, stunned even after having correctly guessed the man's identity.

"You are extremely skilled and even though I could very well ultimately defeat you here and now, fighting you now would still be a huge risk for me and my organization, there is too much at stake for us at the moment, and I am very much needed at the top. Our total control of the city can not be challenged by anyone and those who try to will end up destroyed, do you understand ?"

The last sentence led Neri to visibly show her disgust but then Flavio continued

"The court has several hideouts around, so this is just one of many, therefore do not necessarily expect to find me back here anytime soon, but rest assured, we will meet again."

"I am not done with you Flavio!"

After that, Flavio dropped a smoke bomb and started running away, but though Neri was able to effectively cover her mouth and pursue him. Flavio had managed to keep his distance and quickly open a secret door that he went through and quickly closed behind him, leaving only a wall between him and Neri, who was left extremely frustrated, but then realized that she would have to call it a day and activated her eagle vision to look for an exit.

After around an hour, Neri had made it back to the inn and was greeted by the co-owner. She had managed to calm down a bit by then and her anger had slightly decreased.

"Miss Mancini (Neri's alias), I am glad you're safe, I had heard that something terrible had happened. Your friend was extremely worried and she initially returned here but she quickly went back outside and she has been looking for you for a while now."

"Thank you for your concern. Did she tell you where she was going ?"

"Not exactly I am afraid."

"I see."

And then a few seconds later, the main door of the inn opened, revealing an exhausted Thea. However, as soon as she was Neri, she lit up and ran to her and gave her a hug.

"Neri you're safe! I was so worried about you!"

"I am really sorry Thea, I'm relieved nothing happened to you either. Come, let's go back to our room, I'll explain everything." Neri said, taking Thea's hand.

"Right!" Thea answered

Neri then sat Thea down and explained to her the whole story in great details.

"Wow, that's…..unbelievable." She said after hearing everything

"I know….It felt a bit like a bad dream." Neri answered

"Whatever he put into our drinks must be unheard of by most, because I was pretty certain I saw him die as well back there. And then after that I saw you chasing the man who had supposedly killed him but then I collapsed shortly after, waking up sometime later, but by then, I couldn't find you anymore." Thea indicated

"Yeah, I am really interested in knowing more about that too. I must say I am disappointed, he seemed so kind and genuine back there. I guess you never know sometimes." Neri said

"Yeah, that's truly disappointing. But then, what do you think he meant by that when he said that it made sense why you were looking for Luigi ?" Thea said

"I am certain that he knows about individuals like me, those who have the mark, this would explain why the book was in that building. The guy who opened and talked to us must have reported us back to him with full physical description and then Flavio was simply lucky enough to run into us in the street and quickly put together a plan to capture me during the event tonight.

However, he does not appear to have a mark therefore can't read the book himself under usual circumstances, but it is also almost certain that he knows someone else who does have the mark besides me, who that may be, I am not sure. I am not exactly sure how Luigi fits into all this. Does he have a mark as well ? Is he a part of the court ? Did they get rid of him for some reason ? I have no idea.

Back in Paris and generally outside of Naples due to the great distance, I could only tell that the book was in Naples broadly, but not necessarily in which specific building it was, I would have to come closer to the location for the specific spot to be perfectly clear, therefore I can't tell if Luigi immediately put the book in that same building when he returned to Naples from Paris several years ago.

Since Flavio sort of implied that he was the leader of the shadow court, I am sure he has all the answers. I have no idea why he refused combat tonight but we'll have to find a way to make him talk.

Besides, I also wonder whether the court has run into the Assassins or Templars in the past, I mean Flavio was wearing the same type of mask that Alessandro had described to us back in Venice so we never know. As the court's operation seems much more limited geographically in comparison to the other two groups who operate all over the world, I am curious to see how such an interaction would play out." Neri said

"Yeah I wonder about that too and I agree with everything you just said. We need to seriously consider our options. We'll have more time to think about a plan of action tomorrow, we really need to get some rest now." Thea proposed

"You're right. We should definitely try to get some sleep now." Neri said.

Meanwhile, Flavio was at his house, speaking with his younger cousin, Luca Falcone who was 17. The Shadow court was pretty much exactly what the legend said it was, and it had been ruled by Flavio's family, the Ravonne, since its foundation and Flavio was the current head of the Ravonne family at 26 years old and thus, he was also the head of the court.

It's important to mention that the Ravonne had hereditarily passed leadership only between male heirs. There were 10 families in the court at this time and some had claims to leadership through marriages with the Ravonne in the past but with different levels of seniority. The next in line after the Ravonne would be the Falcone, Luca's family, as his mother was a Ravonne and that was the crux of the issue.

Flavio's older brother, nephew, cousin (who was a Ravonne), as well as his uncle were dead and had all died in a window of around 4 years, some time ago. All of them from the spread of illness, besides his uncle who died in a hunting accent. And that's not to mention his father and grandfather, thus Flavio had suddenly found himself in a position of high responsibility he had not been necessarily fully prepared for and this had been affecting him ever since.

Luca also lost his parents, 1 older brother and his older sister from that illness as well, and the Russo family, a key family of the court, also lost 2 males members because of it.

Other families had been exposed and had seen some of their members get seriously ill because of it, though there were no further casualties. Therefore, Flavio was the last male member of the Ravonne, the leading family of the court who obviously did not wish to get extinct. Luca was also the last male member of the Falcone at this time, though his twin sister Sofia was still there as well.

But Flavio has had trouble having a male heir (or an heir at all) with his wife, Giovanna Ravonne (maiden name Pirro) aged 25, who had miscarried 3 times before and thus he had to start seriously preparing his younger cousin Luca to succeed him, and Luca had gotten extremely attached to the idea that he and his descendants may rule the court.

However, like Flavio had said before, she was currently pregnant and would be giving birth soon, so Flavio was still hopeful but still wanted to prepare his cousin just in case. Luca wasn't yet married but was searching for a suitable bride at the moment.

Then, as Flavio and Luca were still in deep discussion, a woman came, who was apparently overjoyed and had tears of joy, announcing to Flavio wonderful news. His wife had just delivered a healthy baby boy…


	15. Chapter 15

_**Naples, June 1491** _

A few hours after receiving what seemed like the best news of his life, Flavio was now at his wife Giovanna's side and they were alone together in the room. He was full of joy and it seemed like it was finally over and that he could now heave a sigh of relief.

Holding his newborn son, who he had named Adriano in his arms, Flavio said

"It truly looks as though we are finally being rewarded after so much struggle Gio. I am so glad you were able you and the baby are both safe."

"(Sigh), It hasn't been easy, but it looks like we did it. We finally have an heir. This will bring a bit of stability to the court, and to us as well." She answered, while in a sleeping position on the bed.

"Indeed." He said

"But Flavio, now that we have a son and heir…..I was wondering….."

"Yes ?"

"Luca. What's gonna happen with him ? I know that he had gotten really attached to the idea of taking over. How did he react to the news ?" Gio asked

"Well he congratulated me but I could not exactly hide his disappointment. In a way, it is understandable but….the rules are the rules. I will make sure we come to an understanding on this matter." Flavio said

"Alright." Gio answered

"On top of making sure the court is stabilized, we also need to focus on eliminating Mazzini, it will make things easier for us at the moment. Once all that is done, we can turn our attention to that enigmatic intruder and her friend."

"Very well then. I am fine with that agenda." Gio said with a smile

However, deep down Gio was still worried and wanting to fully secure the support of other members, Gio had preemptively seeked close supporters within the court out of fear without telling Flavio (though she now planned to), before she had even given birth in order to make sure that they support her hypothetical then, but now actual son's succession. Her biggest ally would be Rinaldo Vercelli, a powerful member of the court.

The problem was that there were some inside the court who had grown hostile to the Ravonne and who could potentially use this period of fragility and possible weakness to overthrow them completely. Among them, while some had kept a low profile and not made their discontent known, others had made it very public.

Salvatore (or Sal) Russo is a good example and perhaps biggest example. He holds a grudge against Flavio because his sister was executed on charges of betraying the court as per the organization's rules.

Sal had believed the accusation to be unfounded however, Flavio believed that they were legitimate. However, even before that, Sal had been suspicious of Flavio, disagreeing with many of his moves and thinking the latter was hiding something from him.

Sal, who had had many discussions with Luca in the past regarding the succession and who therefore knew how much the latter wished to be official heir, felt like it was time to make his move. He decided that would secretly support Luca's claim instead of Flavio's son Adriano and would try Influence Luca to oppose his cousin for the leadership on the basis that Flavio had proven multiple times to be unable to produce a suitable heir and that the current one probably would not survive very long and that overall, Flavio simply was not to be trusted with the leadership of the court..

Therefore, shortly after hearing the news of Adriano, Sal then approached and had a conversation with Luca and his sister Sofia and advised and influenced them to rebel against Flavio, telling them that other members of the court, who grew dissatisfied with Flavio's rule would also join them. Flavio, frustrated by the situation was in agreement, Sofia was as well and thus they secretly started plotting their move.

Back to Neri, it was around 4pm and she was resting a bit in bed and Thea had gone out to run some errands. She was still thinking about how to move forward with their search. Around 15 minutes later, Thea finally came back and gave her some bad news, letting her know that she learned on the way that an important political figure, Ruggerio Mazzini, and his wife were murdered in their home with no trace of a killer. Thea came across Mazzini's house.

"Are we thinking the same thing Neri ?" Thea asked after delivering the news

"Absolutely. There's a great chance that Flavio and his gang might be behind this. We need to get ready for tonight. We'll go there and investigate as best we can." Neri said

"Right!" Thea said with enthusiasm.

Thus, when night fell, taking everything they needed, They went to the location indicated by Thea and they sneaked into Mazzini's house through a window and tried to investigate for any clue of the court's killers but did not find anything significant. It also should be mentioned that the corpses of Mazzini and his wife had already been taken away by the authorities but obviously the house was now supposed to be empty.

They were scanning the area and looking for clues and then they were attacked from above by what looked like a killer from the court. Neri could see with her eagle vision that this one was female and she also noticed that 5 other killers, this time all male, were there as well and the female one made a hand gesture, telling them to go after Neri and Thea, order which they swiftly obeyed. Neri and Thea then drew their swords and got into position.

"I hope you're ready for this!" Neri told Thea

"You bet I am!" Thea said back.

Outnumbered, Neri and Thea got into a defensive stance which proved quite effective and they managed to defend themselves against the five attackers and launch counters, while the female killer observed as though she wished to study them or some sort of thing like that. Within 3 minutes, Neri and Thea had eliminated the individuals and were now facing the female killer, who now found herself at numerical disadvantage.

"Killing political nuisances truly seems to be a pastime of the court, doesn't it ?" Neri said to the remaining killer."

She did not respond and instead, she charged at Neri and Thea, after drawing her own sword. Very quickly, it was apparent why she was the one ordering the others around in this specific place, as she was tremendously more skilled than the rest and gave Neri and Thea a very hard time even at 1v2, forcing them to have an extremely high reaction time to her attacks unless they wished to die of course.

But while they battle, Neri and Thea are able to observe and slowly adapt. And then after some time, it seemed as though they were about to take the upper hand on the killer, who had probably come to the realization that she would not be able to take the both of them at once for much longer, after which she decided to escape.

She was really fast, Neri and Thea immediately tried to pursue, but as the killer had quickly climbed up to a window and had just gotten out, Neri suddenly fell to her knees and started holding her head in pain and feeling a little dizzy, which also caused Thea to stop running and she immediately went to her side.

"Neri, what's going on ? Are you alright ?"

"Yeah it's just…..that sensation….I feel like I did not fully recover from the night of the event."

"(Sigh) That killer's probably gotten well far ahead as well. Come Neri, let's get you out of there. You need more rest"

"Thanks Thea."

Several hours later, the lady killer then enters a hideout and has a talk with Flavio, she gives him a pouch, belongings that he had asked and Flavio thanks her for that and for the death of Ruggiero.

She then mentions her fight with Neri and Thea as she had already been informed by Flavio of their dealings, but she also said that she sadly had to get away as she might be overwhelmed by fighting Neri and her friend at once, that despite her skill she will have to get her one on one or get more help from the other agents and Flavio understood.

She also congratulated him for the birth of his son, feeling genuinely happy for him. It seemed as though she was much closer to him than the other killers for some reason and wasn't just an ordinary court agent.

The next day, the members are in session at one of their hideouts and discussing. There were more than 30 members present and unsurprisingly, the topic of succession comes up and Sal Russo presents his doubts and butts heads with Flavio in a conversation. Luca and Sofia were not here as they had other matters to attend to at that moment.

"And what exactly are you planning to do if the heir apparent does not survive ? Considering what happened to the previous 3, surely you must be thinking of it ?" Sal threw at Flavio

"If such a highly unfortunate event should occur, then Luca will be next in line, I'm not sure where exactly you're going with this. However in any case, you should be careful to watch your tone." Flavio answered back coldly

"Well, the succession crisis in and of itself is hardly the only issue, your incompetence at running this organization bothers me a lot too! If Luca were to take over right now, I wouldn't be surprised that he would be able to do a much better job than you." Sal launched angrily

"Enough!" Gio screamed before Flavio was even able to reply

Gio then pursued "Signore Russo, it would probably be best for you and the rest of your family to state your intentions clearly here and now." but Sal stayed silent, only looking angry.

"Russo, stand down now." Flavio then said from a threatening tone to Sal who begrudgingly complied.

Sal was fuming, but he just thought that he had to be patient, his time would come, he believed.

Around a day later, Neri had gotten better, but now, it seems like Thea was the one getting affected by the side effects of the substance and she was now in bed, tired. Neri and Thea had learned from the streets of a party given by a certain Flavio Ravonne to celebrate the birth of his long awaited son.

Interestingly enough it would take place mostly outside. Neri then decides to go, not to the party itself obviously, but she would observe the place where it was supposed to take place from a rooftop and see if anything strange happens. and she pleaded with Thea to stay home just for this night as she was a bit weak physically.

"You need to get some rest Thea, just like I did. I wish we could have gone together, but this is not an opportunity to miss. I promise I'll be careful."

"Good luck Neri, please come back safely."

"I will." Neri said right before leaving.

Once she arrived, Neri was observing and scanning the place with eagle vision from a rooftop and a stealthy position where she could not be seen but where she could see Flavio and the people attending. At one point, while Flavio was discussing with his guests, it seemed like he suddenly started to have intense headaches which caught Neri's attention and that of the guests who asked him if he was alright.

Flavio then looked at the glass of wine he was holding and then he suddenly came to the realization of something,

"Poison ? But who could ?" He thought internally but then he immediately started to suspect one person in particular.

Flavio was actually a poison and substance specialist but this time he was caught off guard. He was slowly getting weaker and weaker then dropped to one of his knees while many of his guests screamed for help. Giovanna was walking quickly towards her husband in panic.

To make things worse, before she even got to him, a look of horror appeared on her face when she noticed 2 men holding daggers that were right behind him.

"Flavio behind you!" Gio screamed in terror

However, one of them managed to slightly hit Flavio in the back but not well enough to kill him or significantly incapacitate him, thus Flavio managed to get up and disarm one of the assaillants and he immediately killed him with his own blade. This caused the second assaillant to flee by avoiding being seized by any of the guests and he got on the rooftops. Gio then screamed for help and for someone to pursue him while she took care of her husband.

Neri had been witnessing the scene and was astonished and at the same moment, she noticed the same masked female killer from the other day on an opposite rooftop and it looked like she was already chasing after Flavio's attacker so Neri chased them both as a result as well.

The woman then caught and killed the man in elegant fashion and then noticed Neri coming for her. Another chase ensued for several minutes and Neri pursued her into an abandoned building.

Without saying a word to each other, they started fighting. Both of them had seemingly learned from their previous encounter regarding the other's fighting style and had managed to adapt, even though the last fight was a 2v1. They fought fiercely but were evenly matched, neither of them being able to truly gain the upper hand on the adversary. Neri really had a hard time and could not break the woman's defenses and was getting tired.

"Clearly, it seems neither of us will beat the other tonight one on one therefore I should probably return to his side, there will always be another opportunity to deal with you." The woman suddenly said

"Whose side ? Flavio ? Are you going to run from me again ? Why are you doing all this ?" Neri asked

"Since you already know who he is, I guess this won't hurt." The woman said, removing her mask (though Neri already knew what she looked like underneath thanks to her mark but obviously not her name).

"My name is Mina Ferraro, and if you'd like to know why I am dedicated to my work and to Flavio, I guess I can give you some reasons." The woman said

"And what would those be ?" Neri asked

"I was born in 1466, in a poor and abusive household. We barely had any money to survive. I never truly knew my mother because she died giving birth to me. Growing up I would be regularly insulted, humiliated and at some point even physically beaten by my own father.

I had bruises all over, I was scarred not just physically but also mentally. Thus, one day, when I was just 7 years old, I managed to flee that wretched house. My clothes were in a terrible state and I slept on the street for a few days, until I collapsed from hunger and exhaustion.

I was crying and had asked around in the street but no one would give me food or anything else for that matter, I was rebuffed many times and even slapped and kicked in the stomach once just because I had desperately asked for a little something so I wouldn't starve and rot on the streets.

I was then found and woken up by an upper class looking lady who upon asking me where my parents were, felt sorry for me and took me into her home. There, I met her husband and a boy around my age who was her youngest son. I was adopted into that family and grew up alongside their youngest son. That boy was Flavio.

Flavio's mother had always wanted a little girl as well and there for the first time, I experienced what familial love was like. I learned what it was like to have a mother and a father. On top of that, me and Flavio truly felt like brother and sister and he was extremely kind to me, also always acted protective of me and we always played together.

Then, over the years I learned about the secrets, about the court, them controlling everything behind the scenes, the elimination of opposition. It was a shock but it ultimately did not bother me and I still loved them, they were my family.

Over time, I decided to train hard and received help in order to achieve that goal, not only because I never wanted to feel physically vulnerable to someone again like I had been with my father, but also because I wished to support and help my new family, who had been there for me all these years and had also helped me heal the mental scars of my past as best as they could.

And when I was ready, I found my father, and made him pay for everything that he had done and after that, they asked me to join the court as one of their agents and I eagerly accepted and became one of their best. And now, Flavio, as leader, needs me more than ever." Mina said

"You trained hard because...You did not wish to feel vulnerable again ?...because of your past ?" Neri said with a sad tone.

"That is correct." Mina answered

She did not expect it, she hated it, but she could not deny it : Neri could relate to Mina on that particular point. Mina had a horrifying background. A growing dedication and determination fueled by a past such as this is something that Neri knew far too well. The very same thing had happened to her after all.

But what was even more interesting is that despite those similarities, there was still a key difference she could not ignore. Neri, despite everything that had happened to her, was born and initially grew up in a loving family. It was her losing this environment and people that she cared about that led to so much pain and anger.

However for Mina it was completely different. She never had anything like that, she was not even born a noble like Neri was and she was suffering basically from birth at the hands of her father and it was only with Flavio's family that she discovered what being loved and appreciated even felt like.

Neri had several happy memories before her family's incidents, Mina had none before joining Flavio's family.

So, in the face of all that, Neri was a bit conflicted. As nice as Flavio's family had been to her, she felt that their actions as part of the court could not be excused as other innocents were also getting hurt and their control of the city was not acceptable.

However, at the same time she was wondering whether she would have acted differently if she was in Mina's shoes and the same exact past as her. She believed that the specific circumstances as well as the kind of mental damage that Mina sustained in childhood prevented her from seeing the immorality of the shadow court as she was only clinging to the good that they had done to her after saving her in the streets. In a way, Neri thought that Mina was also being used and taken advantage of.

Neri had to bitterly concede the fact that she probably would have initially thought like Mina if she was in her same exact shoes and would have believed that there was nothing wrong with Flavio's family and their organization due to their loving relationship with her however, she thought that upon truly getting a closer look at the court's actions and methods she would have very quickly stopped favouring the and gotten uncomfortable with their practices.

Someone can be nice and loving to you but awful to many or most others and she thought that as someone who had suffered so much, Mina should also be able to understand that.

"So, does my answer satisfy you, miss ?" Mina asked

Though Neri obviously had a lot on her mind, she wasn't sure what to say exactly at that moment.

"Well then…." Mina said

Suddenly, tons of court agents, simply getting out of nowhere, started attacking Neri, forcing her to retreat as she couldn't take them all on, including Mina. As none of the agents pursued her too far, probably because they returned to Flavio's side, she was able to escape their sight and return to the inn.

Back at her room, she relays to Thea what happened.

"...So based on what we had heard in that hideout the other day, on how stressed out those people seemed to be, and what Flavio himself had implied when I faced him, I suspect that what happened tonight might be an internal rebellion against Flavio's rule, though I'm not sure exactly why it took place." Neri said to Thea at the end of her tale

"I see, that would make a lot of sense. And about Mina, it's funny and also kind of sad. It gives a whole other meaning to what Flavio had told us the other day about his parents helping underprivileged kids doesn't it?" Thea said

"Oh it does. It absolutely does." Neri answered

By the way, you look like you're still a bit tired, let us rest a bit more in the following days and then we can get back outside, I have a feeling something big might happen in the coming days and we'll need all our forces for that." Thea proposed

"You're right Thea."

Thea overall was also a bit moved by Mina's story, however, she had ultimately reached the exact same conclusion that Neri had regarding that case.

Flavio being a poison and substance specialist quickly comes up with a powerful antidote but has to rest a bit and he orders an extraordinary session in the court and orders Mina to investigate the attempt on his life despite the fact that he is all but certain that the conspiracy came from people in the court itself, and he suspects on person in particular.

The night it happened, Mina had arrived and showed great worry towards him and is glad that he is safe, then they talked about her encounter and fight with Neri but he told her to first focus on the investigation as that is now the higher priority and is a bigger threat to the organization than her and that they can worry about her later.

Once in session, the debates are heated and Flavio's supporters do not hide their suspicion about some of the other members of the court.

"Why even waste time on an investigation ? We all know who's mainly at fault here. The question is who was supporting that person ?" said Rinaldo Vercelli, one of Gio's closest supporters

"Well, I do share your thoughts Rinaldo. But let us carry through with the investigation, so that those who still have doubts, will be convinced." Flavio said

"You will not get away with this, Russo, do you understand me!?" Gio yelled at Sal

"So that's it then ? I'm guilty ? Why even bother with an investigation in that case ? Do away with my head if it suits you then. Assassination attempts are not exactly a rare thing in Naples. Your father and uncle had also been targeted by one, surely you remember about those ?"

Flavio then answers by immediately presenting every cause of suspecting Sal : his sister's execution by the court and general dislike of Flavio and not having confidence that his newborn son will survive.

Flavio is almost certain that he is guilty and that others are as well but is still waiting for the result of the investigation. Flavio has a look at his younger cousin Luca and Sofia and after noticing how tense they were, looked at them fiercely and said

"Luca, is there anything you would like to share with us ?"

"No, nothing at all. I just hope that the culprit, if he or she is among us, is revealed and that we can return to normal."

"Very well."

Further discussions happened and Flavio later put an end to the heated court session and everyone went home for the time being.

Then, around nine days later, Mina came back from the investigation in order to share with Flavio what they found. They discovered that Antonio Bronte, a key rival to the Ravonne, not part of the court, (his family was nearly destroyed by them an driven out of the city but he had managed to recover and return) had supplied the weapons used on the attack against Flavio and had been incited by someone but refused to say who but he did reveal that he was also in contact with a foreign medical/poison supplier and Mina later found out he was a favorite supplier of none other than Sal himself.

"Good job Mina, you know what you have to do now. I'll present these pieces of evidence to the other members."

"Certainly. We must also identify the rest of his partisans within the court. He and all his supporters must be punished for their crimes."

"Of course."

"Well then, I'll be on my way."

"Mina"

"Yes ?"

"Please be careful" Flavio said, to which she nodded and left.

Mina and two other agents then infiltrated Sal's house (he lives alone and other russos have different houses and Sal himself has other estates) at night while he was awake and told him that he would have to stand trial and execution for attempted assassination against the leader.

"I see, so it has come to this. I can't say I'm surprised." Sal said

"How could you be ? You were already the prime suspect Sal, now we know that you are guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt. Question is, who else did you work with ? I assume the rest of your family is involved as well ?"

Mina and Sal keep arguing and Sal now knows that he has little chance to avoid execution but then other court agents who had defected to Sal, came out of hiding and attacked Mina and her team. Sal had obviously anticipated such a scenario, but Mina defeated and killed 3 of them while Sal fled his house being covered by other defectors who tied Mina and her two teammates others long enough to allow him to get out of sight.

Mina, realizing that many more court agents might be compromised, got worried and ordered her two teammates to take care of the remaining defectors and search for Sal afterwards while she goes to check on Flavio and Gio.

While she arrives at Flavio's home, she saves Giovanna in extremis before a turncoat and Sal supporter kills her and the baby that Gio was holding. Gio is shocked. This was the only court agent present in the house at that time.

"Gio, are you okay ?"

"Yeah...yeah I'm fine. Thank you so much Mina."

"Where is Flavio ? I need to see him immediately."

Flavio then entered the room and was surprised to see the dead body on the ground, upon which he noticed Mina. Mina then lets Gio and Flavio know what happened but Flavio is conflicted : He wants to stay with his wife and child to protect them himself but he is also the leader of the court and wants to have a hands on approach to the issue.

"Interestingly enough, Luca and his twin sister are nowhere to be found and might have already fled the city but I'm not sure, meaning they were probably involved with Sal's plot, which in a way would make sense as he was supposed to succeed and had grown to love the idea. I should have been more careful." Flavio then said

"I see." Gio said with a sad tone, having expected Luca's potential disappointment

Rinaldo Vercelli, who Gio particularly trusts as well as other Ravonne supporters arrive, and they inform him that Sal has been located with some of his supporters.

"You should go after him, Flavio. I swear to you, I will protect Gio and the baby with my life."

"Mina…" Gio said looking at her with the same sad expression

"Very well then. Thank you Mina. Thanks for everything." Flavio said before hugging his adopted sister who shed a tear

"Be careful Flavio." Mina said

Flavio then asked to speak with Gio in private before going. His wife was extremely stressed out and he tried to put her at ease.

"Don't worry Gio, help is on the way. He has been informed regarding our situation and he should be here anytime now. He and his men will help us regain control of the situation and put you and the child to safety. We had already agreed on this contingency plan remember ? In the meantime, as leader of the court, I must also do my part."

"I understand Flavio, I hope everything will be alright."

"It will."

Flavio then put on his cloak and mask and went to hunt Sal and his supporters.

That night, Neri and Thea are woken up by loud noises coming from outside the building and when they look outside their window, she can notice several individuals, who look like agents of the court, in the streets either running or fighting, sometimes both.

Without wasting a moment and with barely saying a word, both girls suit up, take what they need and go outside to see what the fuss is about. Neri has a feeling something huge is happening, just as Thea suspected and that they might finally have a breakthrough in their search tonight.

Meanwhile Flavio entered the place where Sal had been located and announced to him that he and anyone that is involved in this plot was to be sentenced to death by the court. Most of Sal's family had apparently already fled.

"Sentenced to death ? If I should leave this world, then I'll gladly take me with you." Sal said upon hearing the news from Flavio

"You bastard." Flavio threw at him

Then, two hidden agents that were loyal to Sal then tried to attack Flavio who quickly killed both of them.

Flavio is then attacked by one of Sal's sons as well as Alberto Bonifaci, a member of the court but both of them are also cut down very quickly.

"So, will you now take matters into your own hands ? Or do you have anyone else you wish to throw at me ?" Flavio asked Sal

However, Sal himself however was not much of a fighter and therefore tried to run away, however he was quickly caught by Flavio who grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall.

"Any last words ?" Flavio coldly asked

"You may kill me today….but...you...you'll never escape the fact that your incompetence led to this mess in the first place…." Sal managed to get out.

Flavio, enraged by those words and still holding Sal by the throat, forced him to drink a special dose of poison he had concocted and then he watched him die a gruesome death before leaving to return to Mina and Gio's side.

Back there, some of Sal's supporters had infiltrated the place and had sadly managed to kill Rinaldo and nearly took down Gio and the baby before all being single handedly killed by Mina.

Flavio arrives at the place and learns from his supporters that several more members of the court are nowhere to be found or are dead and orders all of his remaining supporters to go into hiding for a time as a measure of safety to wait for things to calm down and they exit the place leaving only Flavio, Gio, Mina and the baby in the room. Flavio is angered at Rinaldo's death and curses himself for his mistakes but his wife tries to reassure him. Flavio also thanks Mina for protecting his wife and son.

Then a group of 9 individuals that Flavio all recognize enter the room.

"Apologies for taking so long sir, we are ready to take your wife and child to safety immediately. Our master will be arriving very soon now, I trust you already know where you will be seeing him ?" One of them said

"I do, thank you. It's nice seeing you again after all this time." Flavio answered

"The feeling is mutual sir. Once you're done with him you can meet us again at this address." The man said, handing Flavio a piece of paper.

"Alright, Gio, follow them, they will protect you, Mina and I will meet you in a few hours, right after I see him okay ?"

"Very well dear, be careful." Gio said

"Good. Signora, please follow me." The man said to Gio before escorting her with the rest of his team.

"Mina, I need you to accompany me to one of the hideouts to retrieve a few things before we go wait at the designated location." Flavio said

"Alright."

"Very well, let's move."

Meanwhile Neri and Thea had been following one of the agents to an underground hideout that unbeknownst to the two girls, was the same one that Mina and Flavio were headed towards.

Once inside, Neri and Thea were ambushed by several court members again and managed to defeat them.

Then as Neri and Thea kept advancing within the hideout, still in pursuit of the initial court agent they were chasing, Neri was moving a bit faster than her friend and this caused the two to become suddenly separated by a large doorcell that violently came down and did not seem like it could be opened by either of them, after Neri had crossed a certain point.

"Damn it!" Neri yelled

"Don't worry Neri, keep moving, I'll find another way!" Thea yelled back

"Are you sure you'll be alright !?" Neri asked worryingly.

"I'll be fine! See you on the other side!" Thea said as she started running to find a way to be reunited with her friend.

As Neri kept advancing, she activated her eagle vision and in the distance, she could see a female figure from the back, suddenly killing the agent that they were pursuing in a room. Neri suspected that it might be Mina. She could also notice, by seeing through the walls on her left, that Thea was advancing well and would be joining her soon. She then rushed to the room in question, and opened the door, which caused the woman to turn back immediately.

"Oh, it's you again. I did not expect to meet you down here." The woman, who turned out to be Mina, said. She did not have her mask on

"The court agents running around in the streets, does this have anything to do with the attack on Flavio the other day ?" Neri asked

"You sure like to poke your nose in affairs that do not concern you. Don't you know that it's not good for your health ?" Mina asked

Mina then pursued "You know, I once eliminated a man for much less than that. 5 years ago, in Madrid. He was simply unlucky enough to stumble onto our business and onto very critical information, whether he would have spread that info about us is anyone's guess, however, he seemed like an easy target and I could not take the risk so I went ahead and no one saw a thing.

See this letter ? He had it on him when he died, I supposed he was on his way to deliver it. And I suspect that to this day, his loved ones must be tortured by the fact that they will probably never know what happened to him. A tragic feeling for them really, I suppose." Mina said after showing Neri an envelope that was she took from a nearby table

Madrid ? That's in Castile ? 5 years ago ? That would be in 1486. And a murder without a trace ? No….this couldn't be. Had Mina ironically just confessed to the murder of Thea's father ? It could just be a coincidence but still, and what would Mina even be doing in Castile when the court was a Neapolitan organization ? Did they also operate abroad after all ? Neri was left frozen for a moment. This was horrible.

"And you would take a man's life just for that reason ?" Neri asked with disgust.

"My mission comes first and why should I care about him or shed a tear ? No one was there for me before the Ravonne. If that man's life is a price to pay to make sure that my new fam-….no, my family accomplishes their goal, then so be it." Mina said proudly

"You would really do anything for them, wouldn't you ?" Neri said

"Yes, I would." She answered

Mina then continued. "But anyway, that's enough talk. I would love to eliminate you here, but that would be wasting a lot of time and I have places to be. Urgently. Had you come on a regular day, I would gladly fight you again." She said before charging straight at Neri, catching her a bit off guard and violently pushing her aside and exiting through the door.

This had nearly caused Neri to fall but she had kept her balance though Mina successfully exited the room. However, she had also dropped the envelope in question, which immediately caught Neri's attention who swiftly put it in her pocket before chasing after Mina. She decided she would read it later alongside Thea.

As she kept moving forward in the underground, She could now see with her eagle vision that another figure was in the distance, in another room, a circular one this time and much much larger than the previous one that Mina had also just entered. It was the two of them alone and they had their backs facing the door from a distance and Neri suspected the other one could be Flavio due to his specific attire.

Fearing that they might escape, Neri, then draws her sword and enters the room.

"You just won't give up, will you ?" Mina said upon seeing her with an exasperated tone, with Flavio also turning around and removing his mask.

And then a few seconds later, Thea finally arrived, she ran into the room and immediately positioned herself alongside Neri, drawing her sword as well.

Neri then asked again, to Flavio this time, why there were so many court agents running around in the streets and surprisingly, Flavio accepted to answer and then explained to her everything that had happened within the court and all of their internal troubles.

Neri then tells Flavio she feels bad about him in a way due to his son, who was still innocent and hadn't yet been influenced by the organization of his ancestors.

"Flavio, we have what we came for, you should go, I'll cover you."

"No, this time we're going together."

"But Flavio…." Mina started

However, all four individuals in the room suddenly became silent and started looking worried. The place appeared to be shaking a bit, as if there was a bit of an earthquake.

Then, Mina looked above her, just in time to notice that a large pillar in the room (that wasn't supporting anything) was quickly falling down on her and Flavio. Neri and Thea barely had the time to have any sort of reaction to this.

Thus, without a single hesitation, Mina violently pushed Flavio out of the way causing him to fall yes but to be effectively out of the falling range of the pillar which dropped on Mina's stomach…..and brutally ended her life right there and then. She had no time to say goodbye to the person she cared about the most. It almost happened in an instant.

"Mina !? No...No….No!" Flavio screamed, rushing to his adopted sister's side and kneeling next to her body, completely ignoring Neri and Thea at that point.

"This can't...This can't be happening." Flavio added, nearly on the verge of tears.

Neri and Thea were heavily distraught by the sight of this and they didn't say a word. Though internally, with everything that Mina had said, Neri thought that she must be happy to go out like this, it seemed to be the only thing that mattered in this world in her eyes : protecting the Ravonne, her family.

The shaking had stopped. And as Flavio was still looking at Mina's body in sadness, Neri and Thea noticed a court agent, most likely a loyalist of Sal and who seemingly came out of nowhere, approaching from behind and charging towards Flavio, wanting to take advantage of this moment of vulnerability to eliminate and then…..it happened.

Before the agent could reach Flavio, a man in a hooded cloak jumped from a platform above and killed him with a sword while dropping on him. The large room had another entrance above.

No one else had seen the hooded figure coming and this caused Neri and Thea to strengthen their defensive postures, realizing that this was probably an ally of Flavio. Neri, under stress, did not even think of activating her eagle vision

The man then removed his sword from the corpse of the agent and then lowered his hood and Neri could have never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would finally see him again here and now : Luigi. The man who had just arrived and saved Flavio's life was Luigi, after all this time.

"No...that's…..but that's…" Neri said almost panicking and pointing at Luigi.

"What's wrong !? Do you know who this man is ?" Thea asked, confused.

"Luigi….that's Luigi, Thea. He's right there." to which Thea was simply too shocked to respond.

Before turning his attention to the girls, Luigi put his hand on Flavio's shoulder, who was still on his knees looking at Mina, in a compassionate manner. After a few seconds, Flavio closed the eyes of Mina's corpse, and got up. Both men now faced Neri and Thea.

Luigi then took a good look at Neri before he started smirking a little.

"My my, so it was you indeed. You're that little girl from 8 years ago in Paris." He said

"Luigi ? What are you doing here ? what is the meaning of this ?" Neri asked.

"I could very well ask you the same thing, but as far as I am concerned, Let's just say I came to give a hand to an old friend."

"So you two ARE working together. Does this mean that you are also a member of the court Luigi ?"

"Not quite." He answered.

"Then what are you exactly !?" Neri yelled

Luigi then looked at Flavio who then gave me a nod of approval and thus Luigi pursued.

"Well at this stage, there's no point in keeping this a secret from someone like you, I suppose. Flavio and I are part of the same organization indeed, just not the one you think about."

"And that would be ?"

"The Templar Order. In that case too ironically, probably not the Templars most people know about."

Neri and Thea immediately looked at each other and were stunned by the news. Templars ? Inside the court ? What did this mean ?

"Ah, from the look of it, I suspect you two are aware of the kind of Templars I am referring to. Isn't that correct ?" Luigi asked

"But how !? Does this mean that the entirety of the court were Templars then ?" Thea this time asked

"No, only us Ravonne, including my wife, are part of the order as well as other few close associates. Mina was part of us as well. The others know nothing. A hard but necessary step to deceive our mortal rivals. I wish certain members of the court could have joined us as they did show promise but it was better this way. We obviously still deeply care about the activities of the court and will do everything in our power for things to return to normal on that front, but the order comes first." Flavio said bitterly.

Upon hearing this, Neri suspected that this might be why Mina was on a secret mission in another country in 1486 when the court was supposed to only operate in Naples.

"Your rivals the Assassins ?" Neri asked

"Precisely. I don't suppose you and your friends are Assassins?" Luigi asked

"No we're not. And who exactly are you Luigi ? Are you related to the Ravonne ?" Neri asked

"Ah, it's true, I never told you my full name back then did I ?" Luigi said

"No you didn't. What is it ?" Neri asked

"Well for what it's worth. The family name is Borgia. You might have heard it before."

"Borgia !? This couldn't be. This would mean that….No!" Neri thought internally. But everything was quickly falling into place.

It all made sense now, Luigi's father could very well be Rodrigo…..Rodrigo Borgia, one of the men that Alessandro suspected of being the masked Templar mastermind hiding in Rome.

And this would therefore mean that Luigi's great uncle, the man who had written the Isu book according to him, was none other than Alfonso de Borgia better known as Pope Calixtus III and obviously Rodrigo Borgia's uncle, Neri now remembered the relationship between Calixtus and Rodrigo from her history lessons and cursed herself for not having made any sort of connection sooner.

This made sense specifically because Calixtus historically held a posthumous rehabilitation trial for Joan of Arc and declared her innocent in July of 1456 of the charges that led to her execution in 1431. That's probably what Calixtus meant by "as history would attest." (ref. Chap 4) when it came to Joan of Arc and the writer expressing admiration for her in the book.

This puzzle was seemingly solved and it was terrifying. Thea having realized most of what Neri had, also seemed worried and looked at her friend.

"So then, you're Rodrigo Borgia's son aren't you ? The son of the Templar leader in Italy. Isn't that right !?" Neri asked

"Well, aren't you the clever one ? I have no idea where you got that information but I am impressed nonetheless." Luigi said sarcastically.

"So what you said about the book…" Neri started

"I know you can read it. You have the mark. Flavio suspected as much and already told me." Luigi said

Luigi then started explaining the truth about the book. That his great uncle who was indeed Pope Calixtus III wrote it many years ago. Calixtus, as Luigi had told her years before (ref chap 5) had heterochromia (eyes of two different colors) caused by him being the reincarnation of an Isu mentioned in that very same book : Aita. Calixtus was a type of being known as a Sage.

That is how Calixtus had access to the real story about the Isu and the pieces of Eden, because he shared Aita's memories and that Aita himself was able to observe the events unfolding on her even beyond his original physical death (ref. chap 4).

Luigi then said that a certain assassin named Ezio Auditore had recently managed to seize the book and the apple after a confrontation with the Grand Master of the Templars in Italy which caused the Grand master to retreat. The Grand master had previously ordered both the apple of Eden, that the templars had recently found and the book to be shipped to him in Venice.

Flavio and his templars within the court were in possession of both objects and put the book and apple together in that building that Neri and Thea visited soon after arriving in Naples.

Luigi also specified that pieces of Eden can't be localized in any way by the mark and if too close to another object marked by the visual powers of the mark, they could prevent that other object from being localized as well. This probably explained why Neri could no longer sense the book : because it was too close to the Apple.

However, Luigi indicates that the Assassins lost both the book and the Apple again relatively quickly after and that now, the current locations of both items is unknown. But that someone is most likely in possession of both items. But who would that person be ? That's anyone's guess.

Luigi further explained his stance on Templar ideology. He said that as a commander of armies in the reconquista and other wars he has seen firsthand the devastation of war and pointless conflicts and the violence that comes with it.

He fought on the Burgundian side against France at the Battle of Guinegate in 1479 just at age 15 and he has also accomplished great feats at the Battle of Ronda in 1485 during the Reconquista.

While Luigi admits that war is obviously necessary in many cases in several other instances, breakout of wars and many of its excesses brought upon by human weakness and lack of guidance, could be avoided and that total Templar control over the populace is needed precisely to avoid such things and that is one of the reasons why they are after the Vault's power.

Neri then asked if that meant that someone among the Templars currently had the mark to which Luigi simply smirked and chuckled at and said "That could very well be the case." But who was that person ? Was it Luigi himself ? Or someone else ?

Then before Luigi could continue, the shaking resumed and it was much more violent. This was definitely an earthquake and this time it looked like the place could fall apart and that the people inside could get trapped and die inside. Thus Neri and Thea immediately left and tried to escape with Luigi and Flavio doing the same and escaping in another direction.

Flavio was extremely angry at the situation but Luigi told him they could find the girls again and get rid of them but that right now, he should focus on his wife and son first for the time being.

Luigi then informed him that he and Rodrigo had recently come up with a brilliant plan to strike a fatal blow to the Assassins and reminded him that Neri, Thea or the Assassins even in possession of all the elements required, could not enter the Vault without the Templars' knowledge and that in any case they would not be able to avoid a confrontation with them, implying that the Templars already knew the location of the Vault and that they were closely monitoring or even already guarding the place, waiting for the pieces they needed to attempt to enter it. Flavio agreed. While leaving the place, he also felt horrible about the fact that Mina wouldn't be given a proper burial and decided to build a memorial for her at a specific place later.

Flavio, who had already lost so many members of his family in rapid succession and had been catapulted in a position of leadership he was not necessarily well prepared for due to the avalanche of deaths in his family, now had to deal with the sacrifice of his dear adopted sister, the poor situation his wife and son were currently in, and the fact that the shadow court was in chaos and that he wasn't able to properly put down the rebellion within. Luigi was going to help him get Gio and the baby out of Naples and to Castile where they would be staying for a while.

He felt like a failure. A state of mind that he feared would also affect him in his templar obligations but Luigi understood his position and wanted him to take some time off in order to recover.

Back to the girls, by chance, the inn didn't look too damaged by the earthquake which had stopped by the time they had gotten back there. and once they got inside, Neri immediately sat Thea down to give her the news about what Mina had implied in that when Thea was separated from her, which alarmed Thea. Neri then gave her the letter so that she could read it herself. Thea then quickly opened it.

"No….this can't be…." Thea said, tearing

"That's his writing….and his insignia here at the end….Papa...I can't believe it..." She pursued

"Thea….what...what does it say ?" Neri asked

Thea then started reading the letter out loud, though the emotion in her voice made the process. It was a letter specifically intended to Max. In the letter, Erik apologized to his son Max, lamenting himself for failing to communicate with him and failing to bond with him all these years. He added that he wasn't angry at Max for what the harsh words he had delivered to him the last time they had met and that he understood his feelings, taking the entirety of the blame for the whole situation.

Erik then promised Max that when he returns from his trip, he would try to talk to him and correct the past as best as he could but that if he were too fail this time again, Max should at the very least not let his poor relationship with him affect the one he had with Thea or their mother, and that he should always get along with them at the very least least, as Erik had noticed that their last interaction could have seriously created a rift between the twins. And then at the bottom of the letter, Erik said that he loved his son.

When she reached the end of the letter, Thea fell to her knees and was crying her eyes out. Neri similarly could not help but shed a tear and held her friend in her arms. After around 25 minutes of Neri comforting her quietly, Thea then broke her silence.

"You know Neri….I'm conflicted. I hate Mina for what she did, not just to my father but her role within the court and the templars and the other murders she commited and yet….some part of me also feels a bit sad as well because...of her brutal upbringing and the fact that despite all of the love that the Templars had given her and how much Flavio seemed to care about her….it still feels like her feelings and mental scars were ultimately just used and manipulated for their own nefarious purposes. The fact that my father had to die for that just makes me….

The Templars with their twisted ideology getting their hands on the Vault would be a disaster for our world. And the same is true for the Assassins. We can't let that happen. Alessandro had warned us, and now we got to see further evidence with our own eyes."

"I feel exactly the same as you Thea. I am…. just as disgusted by what I saw. We were just reminded how much of a threat they can really be." Neri said

"Neri listen to me. I had already said I would support your quest, but now I am even more dedicated. Even if the situation is even more dangerous, I will still be by your side. I no longer see it as just your goal and me helping, but also as my goal, in an even more personal manner than before. We need to leave and return to Venice.

And then if you're ready, we will eventually have to travel to Berlin and look for Max there. I am sure that with this letter and with him knowing the truth about everything he might very well join us and be of great help in this cause.

I have to let him know that regardless of what he may have thought, he is not unworthy, that he is loved and still capable of accomplishing great things and that he should not look down on himself anymore. I will also have to let my mother know about what really happened."

"You can count on me Thea. You can always count on me." Neri said before hugging her tight again.

Their resolve immensely strengthened by their adventure in Naples, the girls now felt somewhat stronger on a mental level, and with the possible addition of a third member, in the person of Thea's twin brother Max in their team, they believe that they would have an easier time accomplishing their objectives.

 **Author's note** : Ding Ding Ding. So there you have it. The big mystery is solved. Was the payoff worth it ?

Pier-Luigi Borgia is a very real historical character by the way. He was the Duke of Gandia, a Grandee of Spain (title of high nobility), the first born son of Rodrgio Borgia and thus half brother of Cesare and Lucrezia.

Strangely absent from AC2, I thought early on when designing the story that he would make a fantastic antagonist and addition for this story. As a side note, in this version, he is around 4 years younger than in real life, and thus is 27 at this time in 1491, for reasons that will be made clear later.

Alfonso de Borgia/Pope Calixtus III is also obviously a real figure and he did in fact have a rehabilitation trial for Joan of Arc in 1456 in real life as well.

I'll see you in the next one!


End file.
